Dance Steps
by chiharu-tanaka
Summary: On the dance floor, surrounded by shades of light and darkness, only one catches your eyes: your dance partner. SatoshiRisa ON HIATUS
1. Dance Class

Dance Steps

by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: Finally, after over 2 years of R&R (reading and reviewing, not rest and relaxation) on , I have decided to come back! Haha not that any of you know me, I'm not popular in Anyway, let's just move on shall we? ;;

Disclaimer: I own only the plot and...some stuff at home.

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Chapter 1: Dance Class

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The radiating rays of the sun lightly shined through the window and into the elegant room. Birds were chirping harmoniously that early summer morning. An innocuous maiden of fifteen lay asleep on her bed. Her shoulder length red-brown hair was spread out in all directions. The bangs that cover part of her cheeks brought out her natural, chaste self.

"Risa!"

Another young girl of fifteen opened the door and walked inside. She resembled the other girl a lot, for they are twins. Her short, red hair was cut that way to differentiate herself from her sister.

"Mou-she's asleep...and she was the one who wanted cooking lessons..."

The short haired twin, Harada Riku, walked towards the large glass door that leads to the balcony and tugged it open to let the warm summer breeze ventilate through the room.

After doing so, she returned her attention back to her sleeping twin sister.

"Risa, wake up! It's morning!"

"Nani yo- Riku, I want to sleep," mumbled the younger Harada.

"Hey- I'm going to see Daisuke-kun this afternoon, so if you want me to teach you how to cook, hurry and get dressed!"

"Cook?"

The younger Harada twin, Risa, quickly got up from the bed and rushed towards the bathroom to get ready for her cooking lessons from her sister.

"This will take a while..." mumbled Riku, crossing her arms against her chest.

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"That's it..."

Riku sighed as Risa finally cooked the breakfast without burning anything- like she did the last time. Pancakes with syrup and some eggs were served.

"Itadakimasu!" said the twins in unison.

After finishing the breakfast, they both washed the dishes. "You know, those pancakes were pretty good," commented Riku.

"Honto ni? Arigatou, Riku-chan!" replied Risa.

Silence. Only the sounds of plates clattering and the flowing water were audible.

"So...what are you going to do for the rest of the summer?" asked Risa.

"Nothing much, I guess. Apart from the occasional slumber parties and picnics with friends as well as dates with Daisuke-kun, I guess I'm not doing anything else...much. What about you?"

"I...don't know..."

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"Okaa-san..."

"No buts. My clients who were the ones holding the ball and the cruise-and they are hoping to see both of you there. It would be nice for you two to socialize a bit."

"Demo, okaa-san, neither Riku nor I can dance!"

"That problem will soon be fixed. I got you two places at a famous dancing school near home, and students there complete their normal courses within 2 weeks! The ball is also in 2 weeks time-so by then, you should be able to dance, ne?"

"Hai...I understand."

"There's another place left there-and I booked it for Niwa-kun. He's invited too, by the way, so that Riku and him can come as a couple. Classes are to be attended everyday- except Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m."

"Hai."

"Inform your sister and Niwa-kun, will you? Thanks. And your father and I will be home 2 days before the cruise. I've to go now- got a meeting in 5 minutes. Take care- bye!"

The line went dead. Slowly, Risa put down the phone with a frown on her face.

"Riku-chan!!!" she yelled.

"Nani yo, Risa?" asked Riku as she stepped out of the laundry room.

"Okaa-san called just now. She said..."

"Said...what?"

"She said that we were supposed to attend one of her client's ball on his or her cruise ship. The ship's going to Hong Kong."

"What?! B-but, what for?"

The twins walked towards the living room then sat on the sofa.

"Her 'faithful' clients wanted to see us at the ball...she couldn't let them down...so..."

"Let me guess, we're stuck going to some ball where lots of gossiping adult snobs will be attending, and we're all gonna eat with silverware and wear all those expensive clothing?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

"Aren't people supposed to dance at a ball?" asked Riku.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking. We both can't dance. Mom quickly solved that problem though. She got us- and Niwa-kun, since mom invited him as well- places at the dancing school in town."

"I knew mom was going to do this to us someday. Daisuke's invited, right?"

"Hai."

"Good. If they do partners at that school- which I think they do, at least I can get him as a partner..."

"............"

"When's the ball anyway?"

"17 days from today."

"At least we'll only be spending part of our summer dancing...and when are the classes, anyway?"

"2 to 4 p.m. everyday, except Sunday."

"That many times a week?"

"It's a shortcut course. Only 12 classes and we're done."

"Fine...I'm going to ring Daisuke up and tell him."

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"D-dancing classes?"

"Onegai, Daisuke-kun...I wouldn't want to dissapoint my mom..."

"Um...uh...I guess I'll follow. Though my mom and Towa-chan won't stop crooning over me when I tell them later..."

"Ehehe...anyway, classes are everyday, starting tomorrow, 2 to 4 p.m. and you'd have to get...dancing shoes or something. Risa and I will pick you up at your house."

"So- why am I going for this class again?"

"You're invited to the ball, silly! My mom knows about us, and she thought it'll be a nice opportunity to show us off...I think..."

"Ok, ok...I'll go tell my mom. See you tomorrow, then."

"Sankyuu! See you then!"

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'Here we are...' thought Risa.

"Wow- that's a big dancing school!" exclaimed Riku.

Daisuke sighed as all three of them entered the big, brown building.

"Ah- konnichiwa! You must be the Harada twins- and Niwa-kun, no?" said the instructor, greeting them at the front door with her thick Spanish accent.

"H-hai..."

"Hajimemashite! I am Maria Rodriguez, your instructor. You can just call me Maria," she said, full of enthusiasm.

"Hajimemashite," said the trio, bowing down.

After bowing down as well, Maria led them to the area where they change their shoes (?). The area was empty, since everybody had came earlier than the three.

"Okay, Harada Riku- your mother specified for you to be paired up with Niwa-kun, no?" asked Maria while they were putting on their dancing shoes.

"Hai, Maria-sensei," she replied.

"So that leaves Risa alone...let's see..." said Maria, checking her clip-on board.

"Ok, come on in, you three," she said and opened the door.

Inside the hall, the trio gaped with amazement. They knew how dancing studios looked like, but never imagined it to be so...big. There were so many young girls and boys, more or less 30 of them, from kids to teenagers in there.

"This is the beginner's studio. Mix in while I get the microphone," said Maria before leaving.

Riku and Daisuke went to the huge mirrors to see themselves in the mirror- just for fun. Risa tagged along with them, but she didn't bother to look up, instead, she just stared at the floor.

"Attention, attention, students!" boomed Maria's voice from the speaker.

The students turned their attention to Maria, who was standing on the stage.

"Okay, you all know me, Maria, and I will be your instructor while you go through this beginner's class. I'm very glad to meet you all here. Now, I will pick your partners, so when your name is called, step on the stage, wait for your partner to come up, then go down the stage through the other staircase on my left. Line up on the right side of the studio. Understand?"

All the students nod their heads.

"Niwa Daisuke."

"Harada Riku."

The two stepped up onto the stage then went down and dissapeared into the crowd.

After calling out a few names, Maria coughed a bit then resumed her "partner-picking".

"Harada Risa."

Risa quickly stepped up on to the stage, nervously wondering who her partner would be. 'I hope he's friendly...'

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To be continued...

A/n: MUAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA!!!! I just love cliffies!!! XD

Risa: Mou, you're mean.

Me: I don't care, just keep in touch with the fic to find out who Risa's partner is


	2. Waltz

Dance Steps

by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: First of all, I'd like to thank you guys who have been reviewing this- you guys really made me happy! And sorry for the delay, my computer broke down and the second & third chapter disappeared with it! sob I'll try to write better, and lose the "fangirl-ish Japanese". I'm not fluent- but I just thought since they were Japanese...gah, you get my point. XD Again, thanks for the reviews! Satoshi/Risa forever!! XD 

Disclaimer: I don't own Satoshi (who wouldn't wanna own him...), or Risa, or any other characters from D.N.Angel here. I only own the plot.

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Chapter 2: Waltz

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"Hiwatari Satoshi," said Maria, her voice booming through the speaker, the name constantly ringing like an echo in Risa's ears. 

'WHAT?!' Risa thought mentally, refraining herself from screaming out loud. "Hiwatari-kun?!" was all she could mumble-but it came out pretty loud to everyone else. Everyone stared at Risa.

"Em? What's wrong, Risa? Do you know Hiwatari?" asked Maria, eyeing her with a glint of slyness in her eyes, as if she had known all along that Risa knew Satoshi.

"Em...er...yeah...I guess I do..." she muttered, blushing furiously as she watched Satoshi walked up to the stage and smirked at them with his suave charm 'hanging' around him. She almost squeaked when he reached for her hand and intwined his fingers with hers. They both then walked down the stage together.

Too add up Risa's shade of red on her cheeks, Riku whispered to her sister as she passed by, "Lucky!" Risa gave her sister a pout, cheeks glowing scarlet. Riku just giggled at her, then turned back to her beloved Daisuke.

After finishing the partner-picking business, Maria turned to her students, who looked at her, some in anticipation, some in pure boredom, and some in embarrassment. "Okay, students...you can get acquainted with your partners later. For now, I'd like you all to meet Carlos, my assistant.

Carlos entered the room. As he was the typical 'Spanish soap opera actor' kind of guy, some girl giggled while some others swooned at the Spanish man. Smiling at the 'new fans' of his, he then stepped up the stage and stood beside Maria.

"Okay, the first thing you will learn is the position of the waltz-a simple, but _intriguing_ dance. First of all, the boys will place their right hand on the girls' waist and the girls shall place their left hand on the boys' shoulder. Then, both of you should hold each other's free hand. Here, I'll demonstrate," explained Maria, before doing the position herself with Carlos.

Risa stared at Maria in awe. 'I have to be THAT close to Hiwatari-kun?!' she thought in panic. She wanted to pull her right hand to start biting her nails, a habit of hers, but she blushed more as she realized that Satoshi was still holding her right hand. She looked at him through her peripheral vision and silently thought, 'His hands are so warm...'

"Okay, do you all understand?" asked Maria. The students nodded in majority, the rest being shy or just sulking in despair. Risa gulped nervously as she turned sideways to face Satoshi. She shyly placed her hand on his shoulder, her heart beating erratically. 'Why am I blushing?!' she thought, screeching to herself. As she looked towards the floor, trying not to look eye-to-eye with Satoshi, she thought, 'I mean, c'mon, he's not Dark or anything...'

Dark. The mention of that name brings pain to Risa. She knew about Daisuke being Dark's wing host, and that now that Daisuke had found his true love, Dark was gone-until Daisuke has a son, that is. She sighed inwardly, sadness reflecting in her wine red eyes. The colour in her cheeks returned when she felt Satoshi place his hand on her waist. Her head shot upward, and she looked straight at Satoshi, gazing into the clear blue pools within his eyes, behind his pristine pair of non-obsolete glasses.

"Urm, Harada-san, is there something on my face?" asked Satoshi, breaking the silence. Risa panicked again, as her heart started beating faster and faster. "N...no, Hiwatari-kun," she muttered, gaping slightly. In her mind, she could hear her conscience screaming, "Oh my gosh, his eyes are so DAMN beautiful!!" Satoshi just blinked, before replying a slight "Oh."

Maria and Carlos went around, correcting and commenting on the students' positions. After passing through Riku and Daisuke, Maria turned to Risa and Satoshi who were just standing there, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Maria looked at them, giggled, then said, "Very good, you two. You can stop staring now." Risa blushed harder, now the shade of a ripe tomato, at Maria's comment.

Maria and Carlos later retuned onto the stage. Maria smiled and said, "Well, we've covered the pose, now for the first steps. Oh, and by the way, in waltz, the men leads, the ladies follow."

Risa sighed, face still beet red. She still felt warmth on her right hand, as Satoshi was still holding it. "Relax..." she heard him whisper to her with that classy voice of his. She turned her attention to Maria, trying to ignore that Satoshi's hand was giving her warmth that could just drive her nuts.

After changing into her nightgown, Risa sat on her queen-sized bed, landing with a soft 'plop'. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it. Sighing, she began, "I seriously need to get over Dark. He's such a...such a..."

"JERK!!" she yelled, throwing the pillow she had across her room, letting it hit the French doors and fall onto her carpeted floor. With a flick of anger across her face, she got up and walked over to the pillow and grabbed it. She looked past the French doors and saw the bright moon and twinkling stars outside. She pushed the door open and walked out to the balcony. Setting the pillow on a chair outside, she went to the edge of the balcony and gazed up on the bright full moon. "Dark-san..." she slowly muttered before letting her tears fall down her cheeks.

"Poor girl..."

Riku sighed as she watched her younger twin sister cry on the balcony. Wanting to comfort her, she opened the French doors in her room and walked towards Risa.

"Risa-chan..." she began. Risa turned to her sister, eyes red and puffy from crying. She sniffled before saying, "Yes?"

"Would you like to talk to me about what's wrong?" Riku asked politely, trying not to offend her sister.

"Um..."

"Let's go to the kitchen and get some hot chocolate, yeah?"

"Sure."

The twins walked back inside the house through Riku's room. On their way to the kitchen, they were silent. Their footsteps made a soft 'clip-clap' sound throughout their house. Arriving at the kitchen, Riku switched on the lights and went to make them cups of hot chocolate.

Stirring the mixture, Riku sighed, looking at her sister. 'I can't stand her looking so miserable like this. I hope she gets over Dark soon...though she did look somewhat attracted to Hiwatari-kun...maybe she likes him? Nah, maybe not. I'll just wait and see what happens.' She placed a mug near Risa. "Thanks," she muttered audibly.

"Don't mention it. Say, do you want to go to the new café downtown after dance class tomorrow? I hear the drinks are good there..." said Riku, changing the subject.

"Sure..." Risa muttered again, with sadness in her eyes, a thin frown forming on her lips.

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To be continued... 

A/n: Nngaaah, sorry the chappie's so short...it's 8 am, I've been typing since 4 am!! Ngaaah need sleep...stay reading to find out what happens between our fav couple: Satoshi and Risa in Chapter 3: Issues at The Café.

ZzzZZzzzZZzzz...please R&R, NO FLAMING, and constructive criticism allowed. (By the way, anyone interested in making a Satoshi/Risa fansite? I don't think any exist yet...if one already does, inform me!)

P.S. I'm VERY sorry in advance if this wasn't up to your expectations. cries spare me...I'm only fourteen...


	3. Issues at The Café

Dance Steps

by Chiharu Tanaka

A/n: It's me again… feh. I just realized that I made a plothole in the second chapter. Dark **isn't** a jerk to Risa, AND, she 'loves' him a lot. And, Risa's eyes are amber-golden, not red. XP sorry, everyone…

Disclaimer: I don't own nobody bla bla bla…

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Chapter 3: Issues at The Café

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"Ahh…I didn't know dancing was so hard! Mom just HAD to force us through this whole ordeal, huh?" mumbled Riku in annoyance while tying her shoelaces in the locker room. She had a tired and disappointed look on her face.

"Aw, c'mon Riku-chan, it wasn't THAT bad…" said Daisuke, standing against the shoe cupboard. "Right, Risa?" he asked, turning to Risa who had just finished tying her shoelaces. "Yeah…it's not that bad…" she replied with a miniscule smile on her pretty face.

"Aww-that's because you got to dance with Hiwatari-kun. You're like, the luckiest girl in school!" said Riku, winking slyly at her little sister. Daisuke just shrugged, giving a small cough out of jealousy. "Heehee, of course, not as lucky as I am to have you, Daisuke-chan!" said Riku out loud, hugging him. "Okay, okay…Riku-chan, I'm not jealous anymore…" said Daisuke as he dragged Riku, who was still clinging onto him, outside.

Risa just smiled a little, feeling somewhat jealous of her sister. She remembered telling Riku that she was going to get herself a boyfriend before her sister did. 'I guess I didn't succeed,' she thought silently.

As the trio exited the building, Risa just stood there a while when the other two had already started walking off towards the café downtown. At the corner of her vision, she spotted Satoshi just standing there, looking across the street. The wind blew, making his blue hair flow together with it. Risa kept standing there, looking at him indirectly. She blushed slightly, feeling the warm wind hit her face. She turned her head left when Riku yelled her name. "Err…coming, Riku!" she yelled back. She turned her heel the other way and started walking off, leaving Satoshi.

Riku gave a cute pout to her little sister. "Hey, why were you just standing there? I told you that we're going to that café today, right?" Risa just shrugged, as she lied, "Umm…I guess I kind of zoned out back there...sorry, Riku."

Her elder sister gave a small "Hmph" while Daisuke just grinned, realizing that she was standing there because Satoshi was there too. "Let's just go, okay?" he said, preventing any arguments from the siblings.

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The trio entered the café that was located near the cable-car station (I dunno what you call that train thing they use) after riding one down. The atmosphere in the café was very homey and comfortable. Slow jazz tunes could be heard surrounding the area. With it came the smell of fresh coffee beans, giving a bit of aromatic pleasure to the customers.

"Wow, cool place!" said Daisuke. The trio grabbed a table by the window, so that they could just watch the calm streets of their town while enjoying some drinks. A young waitress came to take their order, and left to get a glass of strawberry milkshake, a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of jasmine tea for Riku, Daisuke and Risa respectively.

While waiting for the waitress to return with their drinks, Risa sat by the window and solemnly gazed outside. She noticed the the clouds have darkened and now a dull grey.

"It's going to rain," Risa muttered under her breath. Ignoring her sister and Daisuke who were chatting away, she looked at the people walking outside. As it started to pour with rain, people started taking out their umbrellas and raincoats, while some others covered their head with bags or folders in their hands. She watched a hooded guy in a navy blue jacket running towards the café through her peripheral vision. He walked into the café and lifted up his hood. Risa gasped, watching the man she just saw earlier walk over to the counter.

"Hiwatari…"

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Satoshi walked in and took off the hood, ignoring the stares he got from the ladies in the café. "A cup of latte, please," he said to the girl at the counter. She blushed, and immediately got to work. He placed some money on the counter while waiting.

"Hey, Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi turned his head towards where the sound was coming from. He spotted a couple of redheads sitting by the window. "Niwa…what a pleasant surprise," said Satoshi with his trademark smirk on his face, walking over to their table.

"Come, sit with us, Hiwatari-kun," said Riku with a sweet smile on her face, though her eyes had this mischievous glint to it. "Why, thank you, Harada-san," said Satoshi, before pulling out a chair beside Daisuke and sitting by the window, across Risa.

'Speak of the devil…why is HE here?' Risa mentally screeched to herself. She kept her gaze outside, away from Satoshi's stimulating blue eyes. She could feel the colour in her cheeks rise up as she saw him looking at her at the corner of her vision. Satoshi then turned to Daisuke and Riku.

"So, how was Ms. Maria's lesson today?" he asked casually. Risa rolled her eyes sarcastically. Riku pouted and said, "Well, it was kinda hard…I don't really favor dancing." Satoshi raised an eyebrow at her. "Really, now? I thought it was kind of easy, since I have such a _graceful_ partner…" he said, eyeing Risa. Risa just blushed more, watching his eyes fall on her. She turned her head slowly to him, and looked down on the table, her red, fiery bangs covering her amber eyes.

The waitress who took their order arrived, placing their drinks on the table. "Thank you," they all said when they each received their drinks. Risa blew on the surface of the cup before sipping it slowly. 'Ahh, that feels nice. Better, perhaps. If you could calm me down in this situation, I'd have to drink a gallon!' she thought, as if talking to the cup of tea.

Satoshi's gaze was still on her, watching her as she drank her tea. She noticed this, turned red and said, "What?" He sneered at her, before mouthing, "Cute," and took a sip of his latte. Risa just glared at him, though she did feel her heart beating faster as he told her that.

"Then again, I think you're pretty much BORN to dance, since you come from such a sophisticated family," said Daisuke, sipping his hot chocolate. "Hmm, you have a point. But Risa had always danced better than I do, even though I surpass her in cooking. Speaking of which, she's been getting better at cooking, haven't you Risa?" asked Riku, turning to her sister, smiling proudly.

Risa didn't notice that she had been staring at Satoshi drinking his latte until Riku screeched in her ear, "RISA!" but just loud enough not to cause attention. Risa snapped out of her trance immediately and turned to her sister. "Urm, yeah?" asked Risa, feeling embarrassed that she was caught staring at Satoshi by the three of them.

"Feh, I was saying you are getting better at cooking, aren't you?" said Riku, smirking herself- she just caught her little sister 'drooling' red-handed. "Umm…I guess so…" Risa said shyly, feeling Satoshi watching her again.

Riku observed her sister, the sly sneer still on her face. Risa was sitting down with her hands clenched on her lap, her knuckles white. Her head was down, her bangs hiding her eyes and face. Riku knew that position-Risa does it whenever she's nervous. Grinning evilly, she watched as her sister drank her tea, and said, "Hey, Hiwatari-kun, why don't you come over to my house and try Risa's cooking at dinnertime tomorrow?"

Risa gulped her tea quickly before she could spit it across the table on Satoshi's face, regaining all the sanity she had in her, though felt shocked and appalled at what her sister had just said. "WHAT?!" she screeched out loud, turned right so fast her hair flew with her head, and turned all eyes in the café towards her.

"Aw, c'mon Risa! Live a little! Besides, the waffles you made this morning was pretty good! I should get your food tasted and examined by someone else," Riku explained, while biting her lower lip, trying not to laugh at the shocked look Risa had on her face. "B…but…" Risa started to protest, when she got cut off by Satoshi.

"I'd love to come to dinner. Thank you for the invitation, Harada Riku-san," he said, turning to Riku. He turned to Risa who was still glaring at her older sister. "And thank you for the trouble, Harada Risa-san."

Risa turned her attention to him. When he realized that she had her attention on him, he winked slyly at her. Unable to stand sitting there blushing more and more by the minute, she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the café, as the rain had already lifted. Riku just giggled before saying, "Just come anyway. Risa's just a bit…surprised. And shy, from the looks of it." Satoshi just smirked slightly, nodding in agreement. "I think I'd better go after her…she's probably heading towards the supermarket," said Riku before standing up, bowing to both Satoshi and Daisuke and then left the café.

"Looks like it's just us guys again, huh, Hiwatari-kun…" muttered Daisuke, sipping his hot chocolate, with an 'I-knew-this-would-happen' look on his face.

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Satoshi, drinking his own latte.

* * *

The customers as well as the staff of the supermarket gaped in awe as they saw the amount of food placed on the counter. "Risa…" said Riku, as she finally arrivied at the supermarket, panting heavily. "What the…" she began. 

Risa had just placed enough food to feed an entire third-world country on the counter.

"Umm...sorry…" muttered Risa in embarrassment, as placed the items back on the trolley and rolled away with Riku tagging along beside her. "Hey, it's just dinner, relax. You gotta know what you want to cook first, dear sister…" said Riku, helping Risa place the frozen nuggets back in the fridge. "Yeah, but what exactly do I want to cook, I don't know, Riku-chan," replied Risa, putting back a couple of cold tomatoes.

The girls then put back the unnecessary items before stopping at the frozen meat section. Risa picked up a piece of lamb meat wrapped in a polystyrene platter and cling foil. 'I wonder if Hiwatari-kun likes lamb meat…what am I thinking? This is only Hiwatari-kun…I'm acting like as if I'm cooking for Takuya Kimura or something…' thought Risa, frowning slightly.

"Hmm, maybe we should do fish fingers for appetizers…" said Riku, picking a packet of frozen fish fingers. 'Feh, for all you know, Hiwatari-kun might just surpass Takuya Kimura in your case, Risa,' she heard her conscience say to her. She pouted and blushed, while staring at the piece of meat in her hands. "Umm, Risa, are you listening?" asked Riku, poking her sister's head with her finger. "What…? I wasn't listening…sorry, must've zoned out again…" muttered Risa, blushing slightly.

Riku eyed her little sister, thinking, 'What has gotten into her? Don't tell me she's thinking about Dark again? I sure hope not…that guy has bothered her just enough! Maybe she's nervous about the dinner tomorrow…she's been blushing a lot in the café. Hmm, she must've sparked up an interest in Hiwatari.'

Riku cleared her throat before saying with an annoyed tone, "Well, about the fish fingers…"

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To be continued…

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A/n: Muahahahahaha! Another cliffie. Though it's not so steep, heh. Looks like Risa has feelings for Satoshi! Keh keh keh…just wait for the next chapter: Dinner, Anyone? Takuya Kimura is a FAMOUS J-pop star, FYI. (oh, by the way, sorry for the OOC-ness, I'm no pro at writing! I suck, don't I?)

Please Read & Review! Many **thanks** to you all! (keep up the love of Satoshi/Risa!) NO FLAMING, coz it's rude, and also wasting your precious time (which you could do by reading a fic better than mine), energy (from typing), money (from electricity and internet connection waste), and electricity (which people in your community are using). XP

And if anyone has or is planning to make a Sato/Risa fansite, plz tell me!


	4. Dinner, Anyone?

Dance Steps

by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: It's me! crowd is silent Okay, okay…tough crowd. By the way, this story is more focused to Risa's point of view, because…well, it's secret. You'll see why later. 

**To people who would want to flame me or other Sato/Risa writers: DON'T.****Save yourself the energy.** I beg you, stay in your own cozy little world, and we'll stay in ours. We never had anything against yaoi/other Satoshi (or Risa) pairings, ok? We don't flame you, you don't flame us. Let's keep it that way.

Actually, I wasn't going to post this because I got only 19 reviews for 3 chapters…c'mon people! Reviewing isn't that hard! But because Knight Basilisk drew such a LOVELY picture (pictures, actually), I decided to post it anyway. Heheheheh...

Disclaimer: I OWN D.N.ANGEL!! MUAHAHAHA gets shot by lawyers (Lawyer: We should take this one to the asylum…)

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Chapter 4: Dinner, Anyone?

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After finally deciding to go for fish fingers for appetizers, curry rice for the main course, and ice-cream for dessert; the Harada twins return home. Eyeing her sister angrily, Risa wanted to scream, "This is all YOUR fault I got into this mess! I'll get back at you!" but a little voice in her heart made her forget all about it. The little voice that said, "Hey, if it wasn't for Riku, Hiwatari-kun would have NEVER set foot in your house!" 

Risa sighed again as she placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen table. "Stop being so miserable, I'll help you, okay?" said Riku, feeling a little guilty at the sudden change of her sister's mood. "It's okay, Riku…I'm just nervous. Thanks for helping," said Risa in a nonchalant tone, placing the frozen food products in the freezer.

"I'm glad to hear that, sis. Now, let me make dinner. You can help, if you like," said Riku, feeling a bit more at ease. Risa grabbed a pair of aprons and handed one to her sister. Smiling, she said, "Okay, I'll help."

Risa stood there watching her elder sister chop the vegetables into slices. "How 'bout you try?" asked Riku, handing the knife to Risa. "O…okay…" Risa said nervously before starting to chop. Riku observed her, and gave her a thumbs up. "Not perfect, but it's a great improvement," she said with a cheery tune. Risa smiled.

After eating dinner, they watched a bit of T.V. before heading to bed. After taking a nice shower, Risa changed into her night clothes and sat on the bed. As she looked beyond the windows, she took a trip into her memories…

"_And thank you for the trouble, Harada Risa-san,"_

Risa gently placed her fingers on her chin. 'Risa. He pronounced my name so beautifully…' she thought, a cherry pink shade creeping up her cheeks.

* * *

The next afternoon was calm and serene. The town area is as peaceful as it usually is. Risa sighed, for what it seemed like the one millionth time that day. As the car was nearing the dance school, Risa placed her hand on her chest, thinking. 

'Why ISN'T my heart beating madly?! Hiwatari-kun is just INSIDE!' she thought. She opened the door, Riku following behind her. As she walked slowly, footstep by footstep, thoughts began to run around in her mind. 'I always had butterflies in my stomach whenever…' she thought to herself, before she startled with a gasp, when Riku held her wrist and tugged her.

"Hurry up, we're already late!" Riku said, running up the stairs. Risa followed behind her, panting heavily. She wasn't getting much sleep due to insomnia, so she got tired easily. They quickly changed their shoes in the locker room and opened the door to the dance studio. The students had all of their eyes on the tardy twins.

"Sorry we're late Madam…we got stuck in traffic…" Riku reasoned frantically, doing hand gestures. Maria smiled at her. "It's okay, Harada-san. Just try to be a bit more punctual next time, okay?"

Riku nodded and let go of Risa's hand. Risa rubbed her wrist gently with her other hand, as Riku's grip was pretty hard. She bowed slightly to Maria before walking towards Satoshi, who was standing at one corner of the studio.

"Okay, this is the second line of steps we're going to learn today. First, the boys will…"

Maria's voice seemed to trail off into a long, detailed explanation in Risa's ears. Risa sighed again, before thinking glumly, 'It's not like I'm going to dance with Dark-san anyway…' After explaining, Maria demonstrated once again, with Carlos. Risa watched the beautiful blond-haired Spanish lady as she began dancing with the brunette Carlos. They spun around so beautifully, she gaped at them in awe.

The students clapped for their instructors. Risa smiled, feeling the burden in her heart being lifted slightly. "Okay, you can try now with your partners," said Maria, stepping back onto the stage. Risa turned to Satoshi and did the standard position, her cheeks flaring. Her feet moved almost automatically when she felt his moving to a waltz.

She stared long and hard into his eyes, beyond his glasses, and into his soul. His mind was unreadable, yet she knew what he was feeling. Loneliness. 'Is he really just like me? An empty soul harbouring in a body?' she thought.

Unaware to them, the whole class was watching them in awe, as Risa turned around with Satoshi, doing a perfect waltz. Maria watched them, step by step, before turning to her students and uttering a low "Shh…" with her index finger on her lips. Riku smiled at Daisuke, who was already grinning ear to ear. "Looks like she found her most prized possession," said Riku under her breath. Daisuke replied with a slow nod.

Risa was turning around, her feet moving, her hair flowing with the movement. She was still staring at him, and she knew he was looking at her too. The whole world seemed to have just frozen in time. Risa felt the blush creeping away from her cheeks, as she became calm in his presence. Satoshi smiled, opposing to the usual smirk he gives to people, his blue eyes locked tight onto her golden ones.

A flicker of light ran through both of them. Risa gasped, seeing an unusual flicker of amethyst in Satoshi's eyes. They halted to a stop. Risa covered her mouth, realizing that she had gasped out loud. She looked into Satoshi's eyes once more, searching for that amethyst sparkle, but it was gone. His eyes were crystal blue, as it normally was.

"What's wrong, Harada-san?" asked Satoshi. She was still staring into his eyes. Worry. He was worried about her. She stuttered, not knowing what to say. "I-I'm fine," she said, with haste and disappointment. She knew that shade of amethyst.

'Dark-san…'

* * *

"Are you okay, Risa?" 

Riku's voice came clearly echoing into Risa's ears. "Yeah, I'm fine…I'll just make dinner now…" she muttered moodily. Riku pouted, saddened at the change of the aura around her. "I'll help, like I promised."

Riku gave her sister an uneasy smile before taking out a pan from the dishwasher. Risa opened the fridge and took out a bag of frozen fish fingers. As she let the frozen fish fingers thaw, she pondered on what happened to her during the dance class.

'Why…Why did that glimmer appear in his eyes? Was it my imagination? Maybe I just miss Dark-san too much…' she thought in despair. 'I don't get why I can't get over him…he isn't the one for me…' she thought again, placing her palm on her forehead.

"Are you okay, Risa?" Riku asked again. Risa turned to her older sister. She nodded slowly. Riku pouted, then dug into her pockets and took out a strawberry-flavoured candy. "Here," she said, handing it to Risa. "Eat this and cheer up, will ya? Your moodiness will affect our dinner, you know…" she muttered. Risa took the candy and took of the wrapper. She popped the candy into her mouth.

"Thanks, Riku-chan. I'll perk up," she said, smiling. 'Dark-san can wait until after dinner. I've got guests to serve,' she thought, smiling confidently.

* * *

Riku smirked at her little sister. "Hey, Risa, you do know that this is just dinner-not a dinner date…" she slyly said, eyeing her sister. Risa pouted. "What's wrong with looking nice?" she replied angrily. Riku raised an eyebrow, still smirking. "Looking nice is an understatement in this case, Risa…" she said, eyeing her sister's light makeup, stunning red blouse and frilly white skirt (think tennis skirt). 

Risa pouted, blushing. Riku sneered like a hungry fox and said, "Don't tell me, you're wearing like that to impress Hiwatari-kun? Huh?" Risa blushed harder than ever. "No way! I'm just wearing like this cause I like to look nice, okay?" she screamed at Riku.

Riku laughed. "Alright, alright, I was just poking some fun at you…" she said, still guffawing. Risa pouted, then stuck her tongue out at her sister, like a little girl. The doorbell rang. Riku jumped up in glee. "Ah, they're here!" she squeaked, running to the door. Risa blushed, panicking slightly. 'What if he doesn't like my food? What if I look too flashy? Oh man, he's gonna hate this!!' her mind screamed.

Riku opened the front door of her house. "Welcome!" she squeaked happily. Daisuke just grinned at her. "Hi, Riku," he said, smiling as always. Satoshi just smirked at Riku. "Wonderful evening, Harada-san. Thank you for dinner," he said, with that suave charm of his.

Riku ushered the two boys into the house. "I bet you're hungry, I know I am-my tummy's growling like a tiger!" she joked. The two boys laughed along with her. "C'mon, Risa's waiting in the dining room," she said, walking towards the dining room.

Risa almost squeaked loudly when she saw Satoshi walk in. Dressed casually in black pants, a navy blue long sleeved shirt and a white t-shirt over it, he still looked elegant as ever. "Hi, Risa," greeted Daisuke. "Good evening, Harada-san," greeted Satoshi. Risa smiled at them, blushing slightly. "Good evening, Niwa-kun…Hiwatari-kun," she stammered uneasily.

Riku saw her sister's uneasiness and said, "Okay, please sit, and let's get dinner started." All four of them sat down on their seats. Risa shifted to one side uncomfortably, sitting across Satoshi. Riku just smiled, having a devious plan wrapped up in her mind already. "Itadakimasu!" all four of them chimed together. Risa sighed to herself inwardly as she picked up her fork. 'This is going to be a long night…' she thought in embarrassment.

* * *

"That was good, Risa," came out a compliment from Daisuke's mouth. Risa somewhat nervously smiled at him. "Thanks…but Riku helped me a lot, really," she stammered. Even though she was looking straight at her sister's boyfriend, she could feel it, Satoshi was watching her with those cobalt blue eyes of his. She shuddered slightly. 

The four were in the living room, as Riku and Daisuke snuggled comfortably on the two-person sofa, Satoshi on one armchair and Risa on the other. "Aww, shucks, Risa-chan. You're getting better- now please stop being so humble!" replied Riku, ending her sentence with a giggle. She grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. "I wonder if something good is on…" she mumbled.

After flipping through some 200 channels on their private cable, Riku turned off the TV. "Ahh, there's nothing good these days. What's the point of having private cable?" Daisuke pursed his lips together, thinking. "Why don't we play something on your PS2 instead?" he said, contributing an idea to his complaining girlfriend.

Risa sighed. 'I'm not bored…but I might as well watch them play to get my attention off Hiwatari-kun. But why am I thinking of him? I can't be falling for him now…' she thought, looking at the blue-haired teenager. He turned his head to the right to face her, and winked seductively. Risa's cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of crimson, as she watched him wink at her. 'Okay, maybe I am…'

Daisuke took out the King of Fighters 2003 disc from the cover. "Wow, let's play this!" he exclaimed, popping the disc into the PS2. Riku giggled and picked up a controller. "Okay, let's fight!" she shouted, proudly doing a fist at her boyfriend's face. "No problem, baby! Hey, Risa, Hiwatari-kun, you want to play later?" he asked, turning to the quiet two.

Satoshi's lips formed a sly smirk before replying, "Sure, why not?" Risa pouted. 'Something tells me Riku's going to get me to play against Hiwatari-kun,' she thought miserably. Daisuke picked a character and so did Riku and they, well, played the game as usual. After 5 rounds, Daisuke got tired of being defeated by Riku 3 out of 5 times, so he stood up and said, "I'm going to get some sodas…you play for me, Hiwatari-kun."

Riku laughed at him, but he didn't mind it anyway. Satoshi sat on the carpeted floor and picked a character to fight against Riku. The battle began, and both began to click rapidly at the buttons on the controller. Riku growled and pushed the buttons harder. Risa watched as Satoshi's character hit Riku's with multiple blows. She smiled slightly as she saw Riku's character fall over in defeat.

Daisuke returned to the living room with four cans of sodas and handed one to Risa. "Risa?" he asked. Her eyes was transfixed to the TV, and also on Satoshi. Daisuke noticed this and placed the soda on the coffee table instead. Riku was groaning in anger. "Again!" she yelled, pointing a finger at Satoshi. He just calmly shrugged. Another battle came up again, and Riku lost…again. She sighed. "Man, Hiwatari-kun…you're good. I can't do this anymore…"

She reached for a can of soda, opened it and gulped it down hastily. "Dai-chan, can't you beat Hiwatari?" she pleaded. He just shrugged and said, "But you beat me, how am I supposed to beat him?" Riku sighed. "Good point."

An idea struck her mind. "Hey, Risa-chan, how 'bout you try playing the game?" she asked. Risa scowled at her. "Don't try to blackmail me, I'm not playing," she said sternly. Riku pouted and loudly said, "Drats. Chicken…" Hearing that, Risa fumed angrily at her sister. "Chicken, eh? I'm playing!"

Riku slapped her sister's arm playfully. "That's the spirit! Now, go whoop Hiwatari-kun's butt!" she cheered. Daisuke bit his lower lip to stop him from laughing at the thought. Risa blushed and sat on the carpeted floor, folding her white skirt neatly. He smirked at her, an evil, mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm not going to go easy on you…" he said, almost a whisper, which made Risa blush harder. 'Oh God, his voice is so sexy…' she thought, turning to the TV.

A gentleman always keeps his word, which made Risa very unlucky. Her character KO'ed only 10 seconds after the battle started. "Mou…" Risa pouted, feeling embarrassed and angered at the same time. She began clicking the buttons rapidly as the second battle started. She managed to keep her character alive for about 45 seconds, before she lost again. She turned her head sideways at Satoshi. He was still smirking. "I told you, I won't go easy on you, Harada-san," he said in a soft whisper, which made him sound like a seductive bishounen.

Risa stood up, feeling humiliated, not to mention confused and hyped up from Satoshi's choice of words. "I guess the battle's over…" Riku said, smiling. Risa sat back down on her seat, glaring at Satoshi. He casually ran his fingers through his blue hair. 'She's so attractive when she's fiery…' he thought, before reaching for a can of soda himself.

Watching him pick up a can of soda, slowly opening it, and gulping it down slowly, looking so calm, Risa glared at him. Hard. All her childish anger, jealousy and hatred seemed to be channeling out through her eyes. Satoshi put down the can of soda and looked at her. She was glaring at him, he noticed. He closed his eyes to blink slowly, sighed disappointedly and opened his eyes and looked at her once more.

Risa gasped inwardly. His eyes no longer had that 'warm' feeling, like the way it had when she looked at it during dance class and at the café. She couldn't even blush, looking at him that way. His cobalt blue eyes turned so cold, she felt herself shiver that warm summer night. His eyes seemed to want to tell her something, but the perplexity of the situation made Risa afraid of him.

She got up from her seat, feeling scared, and hated. 'He hates me…' she thought. Her feet seemed to move quickly, away from the living room, her slippers making a soft 'clip clap' on the floor.

"Where are you going, Risa? Risa!" yelled Riku. She turned towards Satoshi, and he had the same expression and gave Riku the chills as well. "I think I'd better go home now. I have some work to do," said Satoshi, with the coldest tone Riku and Daisuke had ever heard from him. Riku felt uneasy, seeing the change in Satoshi like this. "O…Okay, let me show you out…"

Risa was leaning against the wall in the other corner, and she heard Satoshi speak. Warm tears start to fall out of her eyes, rolling down her pink cheeks. 'He hates me…' she thought miserably, her thought repeating as she ran up to her bedroom. She climbed onto her bed, and sobbed helplessly into a pillow. 'Dark-san…'

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: Oh man, I am so EVIL! Well, I wasn't able to realize that Satoshi was being too warm. heh heh… thanks for the tip, Daisuke-fan-gurl. Actually, there **is** a reason why he became so cold all of a sudden. **Don't **comment saying – _'You're a dumb writer, you suck! How can you change his expression so fast?!'_ or _'You suck, man. Even my 7 year old sister writes better than you. How can you make it like that, that's SO OOC.'_ IKNOW I'm a dumb writer, and I suck, but who are you to say about Satoshi's sudden change, it's in the plot! You'll see why **later**. XDD I'm so evil not to tell you why! Hahahahaha 

Oh, by the way, satisfy me with your reviews. If I don't get **at least** 27, you'll **never** see the lights of chapter 5 (7 reviews per chapter, is that too much?) (I've got school to face, and, being dumb, I should know you all probably face it too…). Muahahahaha. Bring along as many people to read and review my fic and other wonderful Satoshi/Risa fics out there too. There's too little reviewers here, people! **Make your friends fall in love with this amazing couple too, ya hear me?! **Together, we shall add the amount of Satoshi/Risa fans, art, and fics out there! Muahahaha!!! gets shot by yaoi fans (especially Satoshi/other bishounen from DNAngel fans)

(By the way, anyone here wanna help me with writer's block? I've got school in a week, my brain's gonna be drained…and I myself haven't finish up the plot of this story, I'm making it up as I go, hehehe…e-mail me, it's on my profile page! Thanks! And...i don't know if I wanna post up my Satoshi/Risa art...should I?)


	5. Why?

**Dance Steps**

by Chiharu Tanaka

* * *

A/n: Okay, if I had made you wait so long, I'm so sorry! X( I have lots of stuff to do, nya XD. (Random people: She's just lazy.) sigh I guess I am lazy. Anyway, enough of me, back to the show… 

Disclaimer: I no own this manga/anime. If I did, I'd change the story plot to make it Satoshi/Risa friendly.

* * *

Chapter 5: Why?

* * *

As the rays of the morning sun hit against the white walls in Risa's room, as well as the entire room itself, she slowly opened her eyes, awakening from her very unpleasant sleep. Even a baby could tell she was unhappy. 

She had, you can say, a 'horrifying' dream.

'It's morning…' she thought solemnly, looking past the French doors in her room that led to the balcony.

She got up slowly, pushing her blanket off her bed with her legs. "Risa - are you awake? Risa?" came a muffled voice from the other side of the bedroom door. She stood up and walked towards a mirror, ignoring her sister's voice. Her eyes were red and puffy, as she had expected, from crying the night before.

'How could he affect me so easily? I haven't cried like this since…' she thought, but she stopped and turned to her sister who unlocked the door with a spare key. "Are you okay, Risa?" asked Riku, eyes full of concern. Risa looked at her sister. "I'm fine," she said, lying. Riku, however, looked back at her suspiciously.

"I guess, 'Okay' means 'crying all night over a certain someone' in your dictionary, huh, Risa?"

Risa looked away. 'I guess twins do share a special bond,' she thought. 'Should I fill her in? Maybe not. She will pester me, though…' She walked over to balcony doors and pushed it open, letting the warm air breeze right through her room.

"Well? Care to share, little sis?" asked Riku, walking up behind her. Risa stopped to think again. A debate was going on, Risa vs. Risa's conscience. "You should tell her, you know. She might be able to help," said her conscience. 'Yeah, right, and she'll meddle with my life! No way am I letting that happen!' She heard her conscience chuckle. "Whatever you say, princess. As long as you tell Hiwatari how you feel about him, heehee"

"Uhh…Risa? Are you still on Earth?" Riku waved her hand in front of her sister's dazed face. "Oh, sorry," apologized Risa. "That's better. Now, I won't force you, but I don't want you stressing so much. Is it about Dark again?"

Risa shook her head. "It's not Dark, if you're curious." Riku smiled evilly at her. "Let me make a guess then. If it's not Dark, it must be Hiwatari-kun, am I right?"

'I am going to do a research on this twin bond thing…' thought Risa angrily as Riku got the answer right. She blew a strand of bangs on her forehead. "You're correct. I don't know why, but I was suddenly…" she paused, finding the right word. "…attracted to him."

'Well, he IS attractive,' thought Risa as she reasoned herself out. Calm azure blue eyes, fair skin, and an unusual shade of sky blue hair, why wouldn't he be? Riku smiled at her sister. "Maybe you're getting a taste of real love?"

Risa felt like slapping her sister with a big, smelly fish. The feeling was most probably attraction, a crush is a possibility, but LOVE? Riku was being totally absurd.

"No way! I'm fifteen, dear sister – real love doesn't come 'till we're in our twenties, or even thirties!" she exclaimed, embarrassed. True, she did learn that; the HARD way. "Chill, Risa, chill. I know how you feel. It's ok, since, personally, I think he likes you too," said Riku, patting Risa's shoulder.

"Pfft," snorted Risa. 'Yeah, sure, he likes me and gives me a cold demeanour that made me cry? Some evidence, Inspector Riku.' Riku turned to her and smiled. "Ahh, cheer up, Risa. We've got dance class after lunch, remember?"

Dance class. Suddenly, Risa wished she could just stay at home and call in sick. But no, Riku won't accept that. She doesn't want her sister backing out. Gloomily, Risa let out a loud groan and buried her face in her hands as Riku left her room.

"How can I ever face Hiwatari-kun now?"

* * *

Risa bit her lower lip. 'I'm nervous,' she thought. She fiddled with her dress as she hesitantly stood at the doorway leading to the studio. Riku scowled angrily and pushed Risa inside. "Really, Risa; what's your problem! You've been acting strange all day!" 

'How would YOU know – you're the one Dark-san had a crush on!' Risa scowled as well and walked off inside. She tried not to look up, but a voice made her look up anyway.

"Good afternoon, Harada Risa-san."

Risa flinched. His voice was so cold and monotonous. As she looked into his eyes, they were the same blue ones she always saw, but it still gave off an icy feeling. She felt like turning back.

"G…Good afternoon."

She fell her heart weigh a ton. 'What did I do wrong? Did I upset him?'

Maria stood onstage, as usual, and gave a clap to call attention. "Okay, students, we're going to do the third line of steps today. But before we begin, I'd like Hiwatari-san and Harada Risa-san to demonstrate the waltz they did yesterday, if you two don't mind…"

Some of the male classmates gave a hoot, while most of the girls giggle away. "Most certainly, Ms. Maria," said Satoshi. Risa bit her lower lip and almost chewed it off. She was hesitant, anyone could tell.

"Ne, Dai-chan?" asked Riku, as the other students backed off to give the two some dancing space. "What's wrong?" asked Daisuke.

"Look at Risa. She seems…sad; not to mention reluctant," said Riku, worried sick. Daisuke nodded. "I think you're right. Maybe it was because of Hiwatari-kun's sudden change of mood last night…"

As the gentle waltz music blew like a wave across the room, they started dancing. Satoshi's hands felt cold, his eyes only getting colder. Risa's feet moved steadily on the ground, their eyes still locked in a tight bind.

"Why…?" asked Risa, her voice no louder than a whisper. He just looked at her without emotion, his mouth not opening to a reply. In the swirling dance of perplexity, she unintentionally twisted her foot and fell down. Riku quickly rushed to her, while Risa flinched at the pain in her foot.

"Are you okay, Risa?" she asked. Satoshi bent down and held out his hand. Risa couldn't stand it anymore, his cold shoulder had made her heart freeze over.

She gently pushed Satoshi's hand away and stood up. "It's okay, I'm…fine. May I be excused to go to the washroom?" she asked, and ran off to the toilet without waiting for Maria's reply.

Riku knocked against an occupied cubicle three times. "Is something wrong, Risa?" she asked. Risa sniffled from within the cubicle. "Leave me alone," she said between tears. Riku sighed. 'Sometimes it's so hard being the older one…' she thought.

"If it's about Hiwatari-kun, tell me. No one's here except us."

Risa sniffled. 'Looks like the jig is up,' she thought. "Okay…I'll tell you. He was so cold towards me…I don't know; I think he hates me."

"I don't think he hates you – no one can hate you!"

"Then, why was he so cold and unemotional?" she screamed.

"I'm not psychic, you'd have to ask him that."

"I already did. He didn't want to answer me."

"Okay…tell you what. I'll tell Ms. Maria you hurt your leg really badly, and I'll call Tsuboyoshi-san to take you home, okay?"

"…thanks, Riku."

"You're welcome," she replied, before taking out her cell phone.

* * *

Risa was slurping down on some chicken soup Riku made for dinner while watching an old romance movie. The hero, a strikingly handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed man was cold as ice, and the heroine, a young, beautiful and chirpy brown-haired, green-eyed lady made him fall for her, but she only died in the end, making the hero very sad, as well as Risa. 

She pulled like what seemed the 20th Kleenex she used since the movie started, as the hero buried the heroine to her watery grave (guess what game). To her surprise, her phone rang, and wiping off some of her tears, she answered the phone.

"Hello, Risa speaking."

"I need to talk to you."

Risa looked at the phone in disbelief as she recognized the voice.

"Whatever you want, Hiwatari – don't bother me again!" she yelled.

"My, my. You have such a short temper."

"Shut up. Now go ahead and talk, I wish to put down the phone."

"Do you want my answer?"

Risa raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What answer?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Harada. The question you asked me in dance class."

She realised what he was talking about. "Yes…I want to know."

A long pause.

"Tell me, Harada. Do you still love Dark?"

"Of…" she paused. "Of course not!" she yelled.

"Then enlighten me, Harada Risa. Why do you keep remembering him, whenever you see me?"

Risa paused for a long while. Then she realised, why Satoshi was so cold towards her. Why she had seen that amethyst flicker in his eyes; why she always blushed when he winked at her; why she always had butterflies in her stomach whenever he was around.

She had seen Dark within him, and she didn't notice.

"How did you know?"

"I was simply testing you, if you were really over Dark."

That line hurt Risa's heart so badly. 'You were testing me? Then you don't love me, do you? All the compliments, the stares, the smiles…those were fake!'

"Well," she said, pausing to hold her tears. "I guess I have now, haven't I?"

"You very well have. I'm…sorry to have caused you pain."

"…"

"Goodnight," he said, before the line went as dead as her heart.

* * *

Risa felt so painful when she woke up in the morning the next day. 'Thank God it's Sunday,' she thought. She glanced over to see the alarm clock. It read: 9:54 a.m. 

'Oh my God, it's so late…' She groggily got up from the bed. Her hair was in a very bad condition; with split ends and tangles; she looked like a caveman. 'I don't understand…why do I have to suffer like this?'

Groaning, she plopped back down on the bed.

Later when the sun stood high, Risa finally came out, dressed plainly in a white T-shirt and a dark blue skirt. Her face was pale and her eyes were red from crying until 4 a.m. the night before.

'Mental note to self: murder Hiwatari-kun,' thought Riku as she turned off the stove. "Are you hungry?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"No, thank you, Riku-chan…I'm not hungry," was Risa's monotonous reply.

Breathing out a sigh, Riku looked at her sad sister and prayed, 'Please change Risa back to her normal, annoying self…'

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: I KNOW it's crap – don't sue me! (cry) This turned out way worse than I expected. sigh Maybe I'll rewrite it again. You decide. If you're leaving a comment/review – no flames, and yes with the constructive criticism. Not too hard on me, please – I'm like Risa, XD. (now that i think about it, the story is getting seriously K-drama like...) 

I think the name of the butler is Tsuboyoshi...correct me if I'm wrong, OK?


	6. Forgiveness

**Dance Steps**

_By Chiharu Tanaka_

* * *

**A/n:** Being busy and lazy at the same time is no fun. (cry) I need more discipline! So here, you go folks, Dance Steps chapter 6. I AM SO HAPPY FOR THE REVIEWS I GOT! THANK YOU EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU! 

**The History of _Dance Steps_: **I can't really take ALL the credit. I owe some to my younger sis, Mizuki. We were on a family drive (somewhere December 2003) back from my dad's uncle's house after a brief 'reunion', and it was raining – I took out a notebook that was in my pocket and started to write down about Dance Steps. I only watched a little bit of D.N.Angel at that time, so I left the project aside. I typed out chapter one and two on my computer before it went busted, so I had to retype. I finally posted it in 2004. . Now you know how lazy I am.

**Disclaimer:** Please go to :link: to see the complete list on what I would do if I owned D.N.Angel.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Forgiveness**

**

* * *

**

Taking a deep breath out of the fresh air from the balcony, Risa let out a groan, facing the sea. The faint smell of sea salt caressed her senses. 'I've been toyed around long enough. It's time I go into anti-crush mode…' she thought with a sharp pang in her heart.

Being dumped once by someone you care for dearly was enough, but dumped again by another? This was too much for her.

The evening air felt nice on her face. She knew that she could only enjoy some peace away from him for now – she would have to go back to dance class sooner or later. She stood against the balcony and closed her eyes, admiring the serenity. The wind gently blew by her as it played around with her pink nightgown.

The sound of flapping wings gave her a jolt. 'Dark-san? No way – he's gone!' she thought. She turned to the direction of the sound, and she came face to face with the complete opposite of the midnight pirate.

The radiating white angelic wings gave Satoshi a somewhat more refined look. However, Risa's head felt like it was about to explode. She wanted to scream for the police – but she realised, Satoshi IS the supreme commander.

"Get out of my house – and out of my life – Hiwatari!" she yelled in anger, before taking a step backwards into her room. Before she could shut the door, Satoshi placed his hands on the door, preventing her.

"I'm not going to hurt you again, Harada-san. I sincerely apologize for what I've done," he said. Risa looked into his eyes, and she noticed, he wasn't wearing his glasses. 'He looks better without it,' she thought. 'His voice felt warmer than it was yesterday, too.'

Nevertheless, she still was fumed. "You flew to my balcony – just to apologize? I'll consider forgiving you – if you get away from me NOW!" she roared.

He smirked at her. "Wow, Harada-san, I've never seen you so angry…" he said. She gritted her teeth, and proceeded to 'roar' at him some more.

"Why WOULDN'T I be angry at you! You tricked me; you made me fell for you – just to find out that I was still in love with Dark! I cried for two nights, I didn't eat today, and now – YOU just broke into my house! Why can't you…"

She paused in mid-sentence as her screaming led her to spitting out yells at Satoshi's face – which he ensued by covering her mouth with his palm.

"Bite my hand. I deserve it. To you, I was a 'totally mean jerk', am I right?"

Risa really did want to bite his hand. How dare he trick her, just because she was so naïve to wag her tail like a puppy whenever Dark was around? She pulled his hand off her mouth. "Well, you're a totally **insensitive** jerk. I don't think I can forgive you for that – even though I'm not the type to hold grudges."

She walked a few steps backwards and shut the French doors. "Goodnight, Hiwatari-kun; I suggest you leave before I sue you for stalking me."

Turning back towards her bed, she scoffed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She turned on the television and flicked through the channels.

Her eyes glanced over to the French doors she had just closed. She saw Satoshi sitting down there, his large, white wings against the doors. Her eyes narrowed in anger.

'That jerk!' her mind screamed. 'He's still sitting there! What, does he think this country is his father's! Why the heck won't he leave!'

Angered, she stomped towards the French doors like a Minotaur.

"I thought I told you to leave?" she yelled.

"I won't. I'll stay here until you forgive me."

"You really are a stubborn jerk, aren't you?"

"Isn't that what you are?"

"...Jeez, get a life, Hiwatari!"

"I already got mine - and in case you haven't noticed, it's attached to yours."

She bit her lower lip, trying hard to hold back her tears. Why won't this guy stop! She took a few steps backward to grab a pillow off the sofa and ran towards him, pulling the doors open.

"Why…" she screamed, as she hit him hard with the pillow. "…won't you LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He didn't flinch a single bit as she hit him over and over with the pillow, white feathers flying out from the sack. Her screaming and hitting became less forceful, as she broke down and cried, kneeling on the floor.

Warm tears streamed out of her eyes, rolling down her pink-tainted cheeks and splashing upon the carpeted floor. Satoshi looked at her, the ice blue within his eyes turning to a sad shade of cerulean. He slowly knelt down in front of her and placed his hand on her chin and pushed her head upwards.

"You know, Harada-san, it really pains me to see your face like this."

He gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. She sniffled and looked into his eyes. "Why did you hurt me? You could've just…asked me about Dark-san…you wouldn't have to hurt me like this…"

He inched closer to her face and gazed within the windows of her soul. "I'm really sorry, how many times have I said that? I just wanted to make sure you were over him…"

"But still," she said, crying again. "You could have just discussed about it with me!"

"Think about it. Why did I hurt you, when I knew it would hurt me two times more? Why did I apologize, even though I knew you'd get angry at me – and that I was the one who hurt you in the first place?"

"Hiwatari-kun…"

He pulled her closer into an embrace and stroked her hair gently. "There, there. You said you haven't slept peacefully, I didn't sleep at all. You said you didn't eat; I was working in the office with gastric pain. I experienced double, if not triple, the pain I inflicted upon you."

Risa sniffled again. It felt good to be hugged.

* * *

"How are you doing today, Risa?" 

Riku looked at her sister. She lost a lot of weight, apparently; and her hair was in a mess. Risa smiled weakly back at her. "I feel a lot better today, only that I lack so much energy, I look like a drug addict or Malice Mizer or something…"

Riku smiled back at her. Risa opened the door. "C'mon. Let's eat breakfast, and then go out for a nice walk outside, okay?"

After having a nice, cool shower with lavender-fragranced shower gel; combing her hair neatly into her usual style with a simple pink ribbon tied to the back of her head; and putting on a pink skirt and blue blouse, she was up and ready to go. She hardly looked like she had a sleepless night.

She couldn't help but smile a little at the memory of the night before. His chest felt so warm, the very thing she had needed at the time.

Riku was overjoyed and nearly jumped in glee as she cooked second servings for Risa's breakfast that morning. "What happened? You finally recovered?" she asked. With a smile, Risa just replied, "Pretty much."

The day was going to be great.

Riku patted her sister's head as they left their house for a walk. "I'm glad you're back to normal – really, it's much better having you nag at me and Daisuke then you sulking moodily all day."

* * *

"Is your leg better?" 

"Yes, thank you for asking."

Maria just smiled at the young girl. "I look forward to seeing your wonderful dancing later on. You have a lot of talent. Have you ever considered about participating in a dancing contest?"

Risa shrugged, embarrassed. "No…not really. But I don't think I'm really that good – I just used to dance the waltz with my dad when I was little. He taught me a few steps."

"I believe you can win a competition or two. You have…what should I call it…star quality. But I think Hiwatari and you make an excellent dancing duo. You have the _chemistry_, as they say."

Twirling strands of her soft brown hair in her fingers, she just smiled, thanked Maria and went back to join Riku and Daisuke in the locker room. She shook her head a little to get rid of the blush on her face.

"What did Maria-sensei say?" asked Riku, taking off her sandals. Risa sat beside her and opened the shoe locker. "It's nothing important. Anyway…I was wondering if we could stop by that café again. I'm dying for a chocolate milkshake."

Daisuke peered over at them. "So suddenly?" he asked. He turned back to untying his shoelaces when he remembered how his mother craved for chocolate during PMS. "Chocolate, huh…are you having PMS or are you in love?" asked Riku, putting on her dance shoes.

A smear of red splashed across Risa's flared cheeks. She subconsciously rubbed her nose gently as she remembered the intoxicating scent of expensive, high-class cologne when her face was gently placed against Satoshi's chest the night before.

"Yeah…it's probably PMS…" she muttered shakily, though she knew _that_ had passed a week ago. She tucked her loose bangs behind her right ear as she placed her shoes in the locker and took out her black dancing shoes as well.

"Konnichiwa, Harada-san."

Risa turned sideways, and found Satoshi sitting beside her, a pleasant smile on his usually pale face. She bowed her head slightly as she replied, "Konnichiwa...Hiwatari-kun."

Riku smiled as she looked at the two from inside the dance hall. She then turned to Daisuke. "Aren't they just adorable? I don't know what happened, but I'm glad Risa's okay."

Daisuke nodded. "Don't worry about Risa so much…I think everything will turn out just fine…"

* * *

"Ouch! You stepped on my foot!" 

Riku smiled sheepishly as she turned upwards to look at Daisuke. "Sorry…but I really don't know how to do this…" Daisuke sighed.

"Ano…Maria-sensei!" he wailed.

The class had just covered the basic moves, steps, positions and twirls. Maria walked over to the young redheads. "What's wrong, Niwa-kun?" she asked.

"Is there a way to prevent stepping on your partner's feet?" he asked. Riku pouted in embarrassment, but she was all ears. Maria just gave a warm smile to them.

"That's simple. Here, I'll show you."

She positioned Daisuke's body slightly offset to his left, and crouched down to place his right foot between Riku's feet. "This is called _Aiming_. This way, you avoid stepping on your partner's feet, for both parties, that is," she said with a knowing glint in her eye. "To avoid colliding with others, just keep your vision above your partner's right shoulder. Understand?"

The two nodded. "Thank you, sensei," they thanked. Riku turned back to look at Daisuke. "Let's try again. You lead."

Riku smiled in glee as she was making progress: doing box turns without stepping on Daisuke's feet. "Thank God," he had said. "At least I know I won't have to wear construction boots for the next class."

Slap.

"I was just joking!"

A few couples away from the redheads, Risa was indulged in a world completely different from reality. Sure, she was dancing with a partner like everyone else, but everyone else doesn't have a dancing partner quite like the intriguing Satoshi Hiwatari.

"Are you nervous, Harada-san?"

Risa looked up at him from where she was staring at Riku and Daisuke. "What…what makes you think I am?" she asked, looking at his poker-expressional face.

"Your heel is on my foot."

Risa looked at her feet with utter shock and mortification as he was right – her half-inch heel was right over his toes. She quickly moved her foot back on the floor.

"I'm SO sorry – are you okay, Hiwatari-kun?" she stammered in panic. Still expressionless, he answered, "It's nothing. Let's continue."

Risa pouted, she knew she was daydreaming again; and she felt guilty for stepping on his toes. "Well…the least I can do is make it up to you…how about if I treat you to the café downtown?"

A few moments later, a smile just curved up on his lips as he answered, "Sure."

* * *

The faint aroma of mixed coffee beans and herbal tea filled the air. 'Smells a bit too much like that café back in Lagen…' thought Satoshi as he took a seat by the window. Riku whiffed in the air and the atmosphere of the homey place. 

"I really like this place. It feels so warm," she exclaimed, taking a seat beside Daisuke.

"Riku-chan…it's summer," replied Daisuke.

Slap.

"I was being sarcastic!"

Risa wanted to sigh uneasily as she took a seat beside Satoshi. As she had expected, he was using that same cologne he used the night before. She turned sideways to face him. He turned to look at her. Large golden amber eyes came in contact with narrow, mysterious cerulean ones.

"Can we…talk…later?"

Satoshi's eyes widened slightly. He didn't expect her to ask that questions. There were a lot of things Satoshi could predict about this girl, but he didn't see that coming.

"Sure. Whatever you wish, Harada-san."

Risa felt a smile on her lips. She turned to him and touched her lips gently as she felt little butterflies tickling her stomach. 'Dark-san never made me feel this way…' she thought, turning to Riku sitting across her.

"May I take your order?" asked the young waitress.

"One glass of ice lemon tea, please," said Riku.

"A glass of orange juice for me, thanks," said Daisuke.

"A cup of iced coffee. No milk, please," said Satoshi.

Risa snapped out of her daydream and looked up at the waitress. "Um…chocolate milkshake…please." The waitress just looked at her strangely before leaving the table to get their orders.

Silence gloomed the air between Satoshi and Risa, while the other redhead couple across them were chatting happily about new PS2 games, new mangas and what to get for Christmas (don't ask me why…).

After the waitress handed them their drinks, Risa sipped down her milkshake with a calm yet panicked look on her face. 'Mou…' she pouted. 'Maybe I should back out…it's not really necessary to ask Hiwatari-kun, right?'

She turned to look at Satoshi again. She noticed; he had grown a lot in the previous year. He was so much taller than her…he was just about as tall as Dark. She turned away from him. 'Forget Dark! He's gone!' she wailed to herself.

She turned sideways once more when she felt something soft brush against her hair, close to her right ear. Satoshi was gently combing her hair with his left hand.

"What shampoo do you use? Your hair smells wonderful," he said, just low enough for himself and her to hear.

She looked up at him as he placed his left hand back on the table. "It's an expensive brand…my mom buys it for me whenever she goes on a business trip to France."

He smiled at her, his eyes radiating a warm hue of the summer sky. "Is it lavender?"

She smiled back at him with a warm smile on her face, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Yeah."

* * *

Daisuke and Riku were walking much further ahead of them. Of course, that was done on purpose so that Risa could get some alone time with Satoshi. 

"What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

She looked up at him. For the first time, she realised, he was quite handsome now that he grew up a little bit. He looked more like a man now, and that made him more attractive somehow. Risa felt like that caught her heart.

"About what happened last night…what did you mean…exactly?"

They stopped walking at the bridge. The warm summer breeze blew by them slowly. Risa turned to look at him properly. He was in a state of thoughtfulness, silenced and poised.

"I mean exactly what I had meant."

Risa looked up at his face. Eye contact happened once more. In depth of a swirling tunnel with so many different shades of blue, Risa opened up her mouth to utter.

"What…did you mean?"

He leaned in closer towards her, faces only inches apart. The sun was setting over the horizon after they had a nice tea time at the café. The world was suddenly an empty place to them. They didn't have a care for anything else. Everyone didn't exist except the two of them.

His soft, chaste lips parted to say a few words.

"It sounds crazy, but somehow…I think I have fallen for you, Harada-san…"

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: Whew! Finally done. I'm going to leave you guys with a cliffhanger! (Bwahaha) Please review – I appreciate it muchly! (:D) Everyone seems to love this story...for some odd reason...well, i gotta go get started on chapter 7! Toodles! (:D)  



	7. Closer To You

**Dance Steps**

_By Chiharu Tanaka_

* * *

**A/n**: Holy! The number of reviews is astounding! But that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you guys! (:D) Here you go, Chapter 7, after long long days of waiting…and since you guys are so nice, I'll answer each review!

Jasmine – Thank you SO much! I feel so flattered. (:D)

Black Mistress– Yeah! MUAHAHAHA! (Very Sephiroth, haha)

Lems – I'm so glad you like it! I like sweet stories anyway!

Cleopatra2 – Well, sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'm glad you're enjoying the stories as much as I do!

Angel Gunner Lenne – You watch Cardcaptor Sakura too? Heh heh, it is kawaii, I guess…

Starian Princess – You'll find out here – in this chapter!

Raya the angelalchemist – I will, I have…

Sawamura Suoh – Actually, no, but I like the idea of Risa keeping Krad's feather in that one episode, so I thought Satoshi should have extras (little change: the feathers do NOT disappear after the anime.)

Baka'sAngel – Ahh, I'm not good at making people un-OOC. Pleh. Anyway, the next chapter is _here_!

Kat – PLEASE DON'T MURDER ME! NOOO! (hands Kat a glass of water and some aspirins)

Rayearthann - Aww, c'mon, don't tell me this makes you cry? (hands a hankie)

Echo of Rain - Thanks for the fav! I love Satoshi/Risa stories too (duh)

Hamano Ayumi - Nyuk nyuk...sorry for the cliffie, but ah...

Destiny - Yes, yes, dear - the next chapter is here...(that rhymed...)

**Disclaimer:** I own…my computer. That's about the only thing I own that connects to DNAngel.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Closer To You**

* * *

All of a sudden Risa felt like there was slippery grease on the ground, and she had soap suds on the soles of her shoes. She nearly fell down and held onto the bridge railing for support. Her eyes widened like saucers as she faced Satoshi, red streaked all over her face, nervousness clutching her stomach.

"What did you say…?" she muttered slowly. She couldn't believe her ears. She could hear herself screaming, 'This isn't real! Wake up, Risa, wake up!' Satoshi looked down at her, face still calm and stoic, though he had just said what _the_ Satoshi Hiwatari wouldn't have even mentioned.

"I said what I said. I've fallen for you. Or do you have hearing problems?"

Risa's eyes twitched slightly as she slowly let go of the railing and back on her own two feet. "You…have fallen…for me? A…Are you sick or something, Hiwatari-kun?" she asked, still refusing to accept what he said for the second time. He walked closer to her and pulled her chin closer towards his face as he lowered down to her eye level.

"Don't play dumb, Harada. You're smarter than that."

Risa blinked a few times, still in shock, as she felt his breath against her face. 'Breath mints,' she thought, as she stared into his eyes once more and noticed the minty fresh breath from his mouth.

"You…can't be serious…I mean, you're…"

She closed her eyes in fear as Satoshi inched closer towards her. Too close. His lips were only millimetres away from hers. He slowly withdrew with hesitation and looked at her.

"Open your eyes, Harada-san."

Risa slowly did what he told her to do and looked at him face-to-face. "I won't repeat this until you answer me back," he said. Risa bit her lower lip as he opened his mouth to say **the** four words her ears weren't ready to hear.

"I love you, Risa."

She clasped her hands together and covered her mouth. "Hiwatari-kun…" she could only muster up to say, as she was to shocked to question him.

"Don't think about it too much. We're still too young, after all. Let's get you home," he said, changing the subject. Risa just stood there as he left and walked towards the direction of her house. She just stood there, watching him, before finally following in pursuit.

* * *

"Risa, aren't you hungry?"

Risa was sitting up on her bed as she cuddled her legs together. "It's okay, you can go ahead and eat," she answered back to Riku who was at the door. 'What am I to do? A guy that I totally have a crush on dumped me, and now – Hiwatari-kun has a crush on me! Am I really that attractive?' she thought in confusion as she groaned loudly and lied down face first on the bed.

"Can I come in?"

Another groan. 'The my-younger-twin-is-having-problems meter must be kicking up again…' she thought miserably. "Sure, whatever…" came her answer from behind a pillow. Risa turned her face away from Riku as she faced the pink wall.

"Is there something bothering you?"

'Duh, you just noticed?' thought Risa, wanting to say that out loud. "It's nothing, Riku…I'm just not hungry." Riku sat at the edge of her bed. "The last time I left you to hold your problems yourself, you almost DIED of depression!" she said in her know-it-all tone.

"Don't exaggerate, Riku, I'm fine."

"You can tell me about it, I won't tell. I promise."

A puff escaped Risa's mouth before she turned to look at Riku. "You _will_ freak out when I tell you this, you know," she said monotonously. Riku raised a challenging eyebrow at her.

"Try me."

"Well…it's about Hiwatari-kun," said Risa, fiddling nervously with her fingers.

"What about Hiwatari-kun?" asked Riku.

"He…told me…when we were going home from dance class…that he…" Risa paused for a second to swallow her nervous gulp. "…loved me."

"I figured he would say that sooner or later."

Risa's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "What do you mean by that?" she screeched.

"Aw, c'mon, Risa! It's so obvious! I can tell that he really loves you from the way he looks at you."

Risa gritted her teeth. "Yeah, enough to hurt me…"

"Well, if you really think so, you should have seen him at the market three days ago. He looked like he had been through the worst hell in his life," said Riku, looking at the ceiling. "Daisuke got worried and asked him whether he was down with something. I think he was down with lovesickness, really."

It wasn't like Riku to make up stories. She wasn't brought up that way. Risa looked into her twin's golden eyes and blinked once.

"If you say so…though…I'm not too sure about this – I mean, he just said it out of the blue…"

Riku, being the elder sister, placed her right hand on Risa's left shoulder. "Just let your heart guide you. It's not my place to say whether you should be with him or not."

A loud sigh blew out of Risa's mouth. "Still…this is all so sudden…I need some time to think about it. Thanks anyway…"

Riku got up from the bed and walked towards the door. She then turned to Risa one last time before exiting the room.

"I'll leave your dinner in the microwave."

* * *

The silent tapping sound of long fingers hitting against the laptop keyboard filled the dark, silent room that cloudless night. The moon shone brightly as the reflection of the sunlight hit against the pale blue walls of a lonely apartment.

Inside the apartment, hunched over his assignments and duties was Satoshi. With his eyelids begging to close, he gave a stifled yawn as he clicked the 'save' button on the computer screen.

'Finally,' he thought, rubbing his eyes gently with the back of his palms. 'The bloody case is finished. Now I can get some sleep…' he thought as he shut the laptop cover and walked over to his king-sized bed.

He didn't even bother to close the windows – and that left the cool breeze of the summer wind to blow into his room. He let himself collapse on the bed and started to sleep as he closed his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Vivid visions of silky and soft honey brown hair flashed through in his mind. She smelt so good, even if it was only shampoo. The gentle hue of amber soothed his heart, even though he knew he would be burdened by work every day he stepped in the office every morning.

It was only when he walked into the dance floor of the studio that he really felt happy and at ease. Doing marvellous waltzes with the one he loved, his Sacred Maiden. Risa Harada.

The gentle, caressing image of her made him fall into a deep slumber, which he hadn't been doing for days. It was then a startling noise awakened him. His cell phone.

'Bloody shit,' cursed Satoshi as he got up from the bed and reached for the side table to take his phone. He flipped it open, ignoring the caller ID.

"What is it?" he demanded rather angrily on the phone. There was small startled squeak on the other end of the line as reply to his angry tone of voice.

"I'm…really sorry…maybe I'll call you in the morning…"

His eyes widened as he quickly said, "Wait – don't hang up!" On the other line, Risa was just about to end the call.

A splash of crimson red appeared on her cheeks. "Yes…?" she slowly asked, holding the phone tightly in her palms.

"Is there…something you wanted to ask me, Harada-san?"

A strange feeling somehow overwhelmed him. He was washed away by nervousness, yet he felt like soaring up in the sky like an excited bird.

"I was wondering…actually…if you're…free…around lunchtime tomorrow? I thought we could…maybe…have lunch…together?"

His heart started to beat faster as faster with a strange fuel of acceleration. This time, it wasn't pain and sorrow that followed with the transformation into Krad. The blood was somehow rushing quickly towards his face.

"Of course, do you want me to pick you up?"

A smile formed on Risa's petite, chaste lips. "Sure…that's very kind of you…"

"Okay, I'll see you at noon tomorrow."

The phone line went dead with a click of a button. 'Wait, I have a meeting with Saehara and the rest…and father too,' he just remembered. 'Damn it.'

He flipped open his cell phone once more and dialled a number via speed dial. "Takara-san? Yes, it's me. I want you to cancel all my meetings tomorrow. I'm taking an off."

* * *

The large grandfather clock was showing 5 minutes to noon. Risa, dressed in a simple pink blouse with a Tokyo style - a low-cut, V-shaped collar over a white spaghetti strapped top and a lavender and violet laced plaited knee-length skirt; was pacing up and down the foyer by the front door.

"Risa…will you stop pacing – you're making me dizzy! This isn't your first date, you know," said Riku, with an annoyed tone because Risa's sandals made too much noise for her to enjoy her TV show.

"But…he's gonna be here in – AH! Two minutes! What am I going to do?" she squeaked and paced up and down even faster. Riku, giving up, just sighed and turned up the volume of the TV.

Riku's amber eyes darted upwards towards the grandfather clock. She watched as the second hand reached towards noon.

"Three…two…one."

As the second hand reached twelve and the clock began to bang, Riku just let out an exasperated sigh as Risa's squeaking became louder. "Ahh! RIKU!" she wailed in panic.

"Listen to me. You ARE going to have a good time – and YOU are going to stop screaming – otherwise you are going to the date looking like beef jerky."

Risa kept quiet at her sister's sudden threat. "Hai…" she politely replied. It was then the doorbell rang, and Risa refrained herself from screaming any louder. She gave a nervous smile to Riku before heading towards the door.

"See you at dance class, then…"

With her heart beating like a piston in a car engine, she swung open the large, white front doors of her house. Her golden eyes were mirrored against sapphire ones as a simple sentence reached her ears.

"Good afternoon, Harada-san."

Blood flared up her rosy cheeks as she noticed what Satoshi was wearing. A simple yet elegant cream white button-up, long-sleeved shirt; the two top buttons undone with a simple, navy blue thin blazer over it. He was also wearing a pair of nicely ironed black pants. In a nutshell, he was looking gorgeous.

"Good…afternoon…Hiwatari-kun…"

Her eyes must have betrayed her. She gasped slightly as Satoshi pulled out a stunning bouquet of enchanting red roses that smelt like a aromatic wonderland. Now, how could her wandering eyes miss that? Satoshi was really something to look at, since her eyes were so distracted that way.

"These are for you, my Sacred Maiden…"

Gently, she picked it up from his hand. She looked at the medium-sized bouquet in her arms. She had always loved roses. They were so, beautiful, gorgeous and…everything she was not. She was always the cute daisy. No one would ever think of her as a rose.

"Thank you…they're wonderful…" she said, cheeks flaring up the same scarlet shade as the roses.

"If you will, please leave them inside. Shall we go?"

She flashed a sweet smile at him. Boyfriends who bring bouquets of flowers on dates. Just like her idea of a perfect boyfriend. One that cares a lot about you.

"Okay…let's."

She left the roses by the wooden table that was a centrepiece of the foyer and climbed down the simple steps down to the front porch, where a statue of an angel overlooked them.

He gently took her hand as they walked towards the front porch, where his black limousine was waiting for them patiently. The engine was humming with barely any sound that warm summer noon.

Risa gently wiped her right eye with the back of her right hand. 'Ouch…I knew I shouldn't have used mascara…' she thought with regret. She climbed into the backseat of the limousine and sat comfortably down.

"What's wrong?"

Risa removed her hand away from her eye. "It's nothing…I just got something in my eye…" she said groggily. A simple smiled appeared on Satoshi's fine lips. He dug his hand into his pocket and took out a handkerchief.

"Here. Use this."

Words could not describe how touched she felt. He cared so much about her. Every single bit of his time was spent thinking, caring for her. She fought back the tears that were welling up in her eyes – and _that_ wasn't due to the mascara.

"Thank you…Hiwatari-kun…"

* * *

"Wow…it's been a long time since I've been here…"

Risa stepped out of the luxurious limousine and stepped onto the carpet with her pink sandals. She took a whiff out of the rich aroma of expensive perfumes. "Are you sure you want to go in? This hotel isn't cheap, you know…" she muttered, as Satoshi took her left hand.

"I'm positive. My dad knows the owner."

Risa just blinked a few times, before being escorted inside the hotel. The doorman bowed down to the both of them as he pulled the door open for them. Risa looked up at the beautiful chandelier hanging on the high ceiling of the six-star hotel. She looked around at the posh furniture and the walls that seem to be painted out of gold.

"Come."

The two trotted upon lush carpets as they walked over to the restaurant. The head waiter bowed at them.

"Monsieur Hiwatari, and Mademoiselle Harada…we've been expecting you. Please, enjoy your time here."

He then summoned a waiter to take the two to their tables. When they got to the table, Satoshi pulled out a chair for her. With a flushed and awkward expression on her face, Risa took a seat on the chair.

"Wow…Hiwatari-kun, isn't this too much?"

The restaurant was filled with the aroma of gentle, relaxing lavender. Around 12 square tables, each with either four or two seats were arranged around the room. The windows were fitted with silk curtains, gently hung open towards the side. In the centre of the room, there was a large piano fitted with ivory and ebony keys.

"It's nothing, really. My dad comes here all the time."

"You can't be serious! I only come here whenever my parents are back from travelling, but usually they take Riku and I on holiday instead…"

A waiter came up to them with a bottle of champagne. "Compliments of the owner, sir. He's glad to hear of you," said the waiter politely as he uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses of champagne.

He then set the bottle in a bucket full of ice and handed two menus to the dating couple. "One 'Set A' please," said Satoshi, and he closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.

Risa's eyes twitched as she looked down at the price of 'Set A'. It was worth a month of her allowance! 'I knew Hiwatari-kun was rich…but not THIS rich…' she thought.

"Umm…"

"Go ahead, Risa. Order what you like. I'm paying."

Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she heard him call her by her first name – in public. "One 'Set C', please…" she muttered hastily and handed the menu back to the waiter.

He bowed down before walking away with their orders. When he was far enough so that Risa could shout at him (only a few rich people were there), she screamed, "What did you call me?" loud enough to not distract other people.

"Why, Risa, is it wrong to call you that?"

Risa pressed her lips together. True, she had to admit that she liked the way he pronounced her name with his rich accent.

"I…guess not."

"Then you can call me Satoshi. That should be fair enough."

'That's not the point!' she wanted to scream at him. She leaned against the back of the chair and puffed out a sigh. 'Sometimes it's really hard to understand Hiwatari-kun…' she thought, as she tapped the table gently with her fingers.

"Are you bored?"

His beautiful sky blue eyes were filled with loneliness. Just like hers. They have been lonely for so long…all they needed to fill the void was each other.

"No, I'm sorry…if I made you think that way."

He smiled back at her. One of the rarest sights ever. He would usually smirk or grin occasionally, but this time, his smile was different… and Risa had seen it a few times.

"Do you like piano music?"

That question startled her from the thoughts. 'Piano music?' she wondered. "Well, I really like it, but I can't play the piano. I have one at home, but my dad is the only one who can play it."

He just looked at her behind his frameless glasses as she continued. "I really like it when my dad comes home and plays the piano."

A few moments passed by them. Risa blinked a few times as Satoshi abruptly stood up from his seat.

"Ah! Hiwatari-kun, where are you…"

She paused when she saw Satoshi slowly walking up to the piano at the centre of the room. 'Oh God, don't tell me he's going to…' she thought, as Satoshi did what she expected.

He sat on the piano player's seat.

She quickly turned away from him, embarrassed, as people were staring at him, and the waiters were looking at him in disbelief. She hid her face by tucking a lock of her hair behind her left ear.

Blushing furiously, she paid no attention to the other people who were starting to stare at her. 'What in the world is Hiwatari-kun doing? That's it! Risa – you are never going to date this guy, ever again!' she thought in panic.

However, she lowered her left hand from her ear as she heard soft piano music fill her ears. She turned to look at Satoshi. He had a relaxed and pleased look on his face as his long fingers pressed the keys of the piano gently, making sweet, harmonious music.

Butterflies filled her stomach. There was so much more to Satoshi than she had expected. She thought he was your typical genius, snobby, know-it-all rich man's son, but he proved otherwise.

Satoshi Hiwatari had a more human side within him. A side of him who is sensitive, caring, and loving. Risa couldn't help but smile as he played the song.

After all, she liked piano music.

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: Baaaaahhh sorry! I've been so busy this week – argh! Chapter 8, 9 and 10 will be done by (hopefully) August. Thank you for all your support! I love you – (muah!) I'll leave you to wonder on from here, nyuk nyuk nyuk... 


	8. Tango For Two

**Dance Steps**

By Chiharu Tanaka

* * *

A/n: Hi again! I'm sorry if you weren't satisfied with the previous chapter. Even if you weren't, I was. Chapter 7 is not good…(sigh) Sorry for the long wait, anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of D.N.Angel whatsoever.

* * *

Chapter 8: Tango for Two

* * *

A thunderous wave of applause ensued at the end of Satoshi's grand performance. He just humbly stood up and bowed down in front of his sudden audience. Stepping down from the centre podium, he walked over to his table, greeted by a wide smile on Risa's face.

"Hiwatari-kun, that was incredible!"

He knew she wasn't able to resist his charms. "Thank you, Risa…" he said monotonously, with a little curved smile etched on his lips.

"Ah, gomen…I forgot we're on first-name basis…"

"It's okay. Let's just enjoy the meal."

Their orders soon arrived. Risa blushed silently as the waiters served them with first-class service. The soft clinking sounds of their knives and forks (as well as other people's) were heard. Risa's golden eyes darted slowly upwards as she turned her attention from her delicious looking steamed fish and towards Satoshi who was popping a piece of cut steak into his mouth.

"Ano…Satoshi-kun?" she squeaked, before pressing her lips together. Using the first-name basis felt so awkward to her.

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering…for quite some time now…why did you take dancing classes anyway? My mom forced Riku and I to take them…but still…"

"My father said I needed a hobby. So here I am."

"Oh."

They ate once more in silence. As dessert arrived, consisting of a delicious top-quality vanilla ice-cream, coated with melted chocolate and diced nuts with a cherry on top for Risa; and a slice of carrot cake topped with creamy white icing for Satoshi. Risa swallowed a dessert spoonful of cold ice cream before turning to look at Satoshi again.

"Thank you, Satoshi-kun…for lunch."

A warm, caressing smile formed on his lips. "You're welcome, Risa."

* * *

Golden eyes slowly shut and opened once more. Riku smoothed out her green skirt and walked over to Satoshi and Risa. She could tell they were both comfortable and happy with each other, just by the blissful glimmer in their eyes.

"Had a good time?" she asked.

Risa just answered her sister with a small, shy nod. Satoshi, on the other hand, just monotonously mentioned, "Yeah."

Riku just beamed at them. She knew there was perfect chemistry between them. The 'twins instinct' gave her so much insight on her twin's life. She strode a few steps forward towards the class to catch up with Daisuke, who was already inside the studio.

As Risa sat down on a bench to take off her shoes, she could hear the little voice inside her brain talking to her again. 'Why is Hiwatari-kun like this?' it said. 'He's usually so cold…not to mention uncomfortably close to Daisuke-kun before…what made him change?'

She turned sideways to look at his ever stoic face. He was untying his shoelaces when he caught her staring at him. He turned to her.

"Is there something on my face, Risa?"

She gave a high-pitched squeak that made the other students in the locker room jump up in surprise. A few girls started whispering to each other, noticing the first-name basis.

"No…it's nothing…"

She turned back to changing her shoes, all flustered and embarrassed. As the other students huddled together inside, Maria stepped outside the studio to the locker room where the pair had just finished changing their shoes.

"Ah – just the pair I wanted to meet," she said, her blonde locks bouncing left and right in a high ponytail as she looked at them with gleaming blue eyes.

"Konnichiwa, Maria-sensei," chimed the two, bowing down.

"Konnichiwa. I have something to discuss with the two of you."

Satoshi raised a confused eyebrow. Risa just looked at her with a 'You're-going-to-make-me-do-something' look. The two looked at each other before looking back at Maria's smiling face.

"Hai…" said Risa slowly.

"Well, I noticed that you both have excelled wonderfully in waltz – therefore I signed you up in the inter-state dancing competition!"

Risa's jaw fell from where it was originally positioned – closed. Satoshi blinked once, then asked, "Isn't that…next Wednesday?"

"Yes, that's right. I know you only have only six classes left, but I really want to see you both perform at the competition and make Azumano proud! You're the best dancers I've seen in the past three years! Will you do it, please?" she begged. "It's just a qualifying round…you'll be doing the actual thing in September!"

Risa had six more classes to freedom from that studio and the gossiping public – and now things had just gotten worse. She turned to look at Satoshi grimly. She almost fainted when she heard his next line.

"Why, of course, we'd be delighted. Anything for our dear Maria-sensei…"

Risa wanted to scream directly at Satoshi's left ear until it bled painfully. She had no time to argue with the decision as Maria grin got wider.

"_Magnífico_! You'll get an extra hour after classes from today, and an extra 3 hours this Sunday, okay? Carlos and I will teach you how to tango. Don't worry – these classes will be on the house."

Risa was left speechless at the doorway as Maria skipped happily inside. 'Why me, oh cruel fate?' she pondered as she stepped inside with a pitiful expression on her face.

* * *

"TANGO?" screeched Riku and Daisuke. They were inside the locker room after class…well, at least for everyone else's class.

"Shhh!" hushed Risa, as curious classmates looked at them strangely. Riku covered her mouth in apology.

"Sorry…but…tango! Whoa, Risa – I know you and Hiwatari-kun are really good and all…but I really didn't expect this…" said Riku.

"Yeah…so I guess I'll catch you later then…" she mumbled miserably.

After Riku and Daisuke had finished changing their shoes, Riku waved goodbye at the sad looking Risa. "Have fun!" she exclaimed mischievously.

Risa pouted and stuck her tongue out at her twin before walking back inside. She sat down on one of the empty plastic chairs laid out. Satoshi was outside, getting some fresh air.

She sulked and covered her face with her hands. Carlos, who passes by, took a seat beside her and tapped her on the shoulder. "What's wrong, _señorita _Harada? Are you nervous?" he asked.

She turned upwards to look at his brown eyes. "No, it's nothing, Mr. Carlos…"

"Just call me Carlos, _señorita_. Don't deny it, I know you're nervous. You think that tango is very…how should I say…_intimate_, am I right?"

Risa found herself answering in Spanish. "_Si_…"

"_I claro_(no problem). Tango is going to be quite okay for a dancer of your standard. I've seen you perform the waltz with _señor_ Hiwatari…it's quite splendid, actually."

"It's not that, Carlos…it's just…"

"Ah…I see where you're going, _señorita_. You have feelings for him, am I right? Or maybe it's he who has feelings for you?"

"What about you and Maria-sensei then?"

"We're engaged. We met in a dancing school…a lot like this one."

"…"

"Ah, _señorita_, don't mind it too much. Just follow your heart – after all, destiny is…unpredictable."

He stood up and left Risa pondering on the chair. She breathed in and let out a big, regretful sigh.

Maria came into the studio with a few cans of energy drinks. She handed one cold one to Risa.

"Drink up, Risa dear – tango is fast and furious."

Risa let out another squeak. 'Fast _and_ furious!' her mind screeched. 'I…I…I can't go fast and furious with Hiwatari-kun! It's as if our relationship isn't rocketing sky high already!'

"Oh c'mon, don't be so surprised…I'm sure you've watched people doing tango before."

Risa gulped nervously. She did watch them…and at the moment, she wasn't very pleasant with the thought of being THAT close to Satoshi. Although, at the same time, she couldn't bear the thought of seeing the look of disappointment on Maria and Carlos's faces.

'Fine…I'll do it,' she thought.

Satoshi stepped inside the studio a few minutes later. Maria handed him a drink as well, which he opened and emptied more than half of it.

"Well, every dance happens with the flow of music – therefore, as you both should know, music for tango steps are very fast…well, faster than waltz, at least," explained Maria.

Risa sighed. 'You don't have to try and make me feel better – I KNOW tango is the dance where partners get CLOSEST to each other…' she thought miserably.

"Okay…Carlos and I will show you then."

Maria walked over to the stereo system that stood in the centre of the stage. She pressed the play button and hopped off the podium and quickly positioned themselves. Satoshi, a few seats away from Risa, raised an eyebrow.

That second, thunderous, deafening, yet groovy beat filled the still air. Hip beats of Latino guitar and castanets filled the room. Maria and Carlos's feet started to move with the music. A few basic box steps were done, before their hands were raised high as Maria twirled around.

Risa gulped nervously as their dancing brought them closer together, literally centimetres apart from each other's faces, before Maria leaned backwards, supported by Carlos's hands on the back of her shoulders.

She felt the old habit of hers come back as she wanted to start biting her nails. As she raised it up to do so, she felt another force tugging it downwards. Satoshi, apparently moved a few seats towards her and sat right beside her.

They did a series of circular steps around the room as the music became slightly faster. Arms together and fingers intertwined, they moved in a linear step before doing another series of box steps.

As the dancing finally ended, Risa's face was supposed to be chalk white, if it wasn't for the thought that was playing in her mind, where instead of Carlos and Maria, it was Satoshi and her dancing. And her face being so close…close enough to finally come in contact with each other's lips.

"Risa!"

Maria's voice stunned her for a moment. She was even waving in front of Risa's blank face. "Are you okay?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Risa nodded with a sheepish smile on her face. "Well, if you're okay, come! Carlos and I will slowly demonstrate, you guys follow, okay?"

Risa found herself drowning in a raging ocean of disturbing thoughts. It was hard to forget the fact that the stoic man standing in front of her, holding her hand, had just confessed his love for her a day ago. It was hard for her to forget the fact that he was the man with a sensitive side which she only was able to see. And it was hard to forget the fact that he was also the man who cared about her more than anyone else.

"I'll do this from the guy's point of view…mainly. You take four steps forward before making three box steps clockwise, okay?"

Risa just nodded. She found herself staring into his wonderfully calm blue eyes again. What was the feelings she harboured for him? Love? No, it was too early for that. 'Then again, what is love?' she pondered.

"Okay, let's start. One, two, three, four…"

Risa moved her left leg backwards just as Satoshi moved his right leg. She wasn't even looking at the floor, somehow she got used to it during waltz.

"That's great, now, let's move on…"

* * *

"Oh gosh, my feet hurt…"

Risa couldn't help but say that out loud as Maria made them do the same steps over and over so that they memorised it in time for the qualifiers.

"Do you want me to give you a foot massage?"

She turned sideways to look at Satoshi. 'Cheeky!' she thought. "No, that's okay…" she said, slightly freaked out.

"Are you sure?"

He was smirking as she pouted miserably at him. "Yes, Satoshi-kun…I'm sure," she replied, tightening the straps on her sandals. She stood up, picked up her pink sling bag and left the room. Satoshi, however, was hot on her heels.

"You want me to give you a lift home?" he asked. She looked at him, bedazzled.

'That's so nice of him…' thought Risa. "Okay, sure…why not?" she replied.

They walked to a nearby parking lot, where the limo was already waiting for them. Satoshi graciously opened the door for Risa, which made her blush. "Thank you," she mumbled, cheeks pink.

"You're welcome," he replied, before climbing in the vehicle himself. The trip back to Harada mansion was quiet, as the car slowly passed by Azumano streets in peace as the sun shined down on the tall, green trees.

They arrived at her house later. They climbed out of the car, and walked down the front porch. As Risa was about to ring the doorbell, Satoshi tapped her shoulder.

"What is it, Satoshi-kun?" she asked, turning to him.

"I had a great time on our date today. Thank you."

"No, it's nothing really – it should be me who's thanking you…for the ride, for the roses, for the lunch…"

Without warning, or any planning or prediction, Satoshi leaned forward and gave her a soft peck on her right cheek. Risa could feel her senses tingling with excitement and herself blushing from embarrassment.

"We should do this more often," said Satoshi, smiling. "Good evening to you, Risa."

He left her standing there, speechless at what he just did. 'He's so…weird!' thought Risa, feeling her right cheek that felt slightly numb from the kiss. She rang the doorbell with her left hand.

'No, weird's an understatement…he's eccentric.'

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: It's P-O-L-L time people! I hope doesn't ban me for this. (sigh) Anyway, here's the question I want to ask you guys. _Do you want a sequel to Dance Steps (1), or do you want me to make Dance Steps longer (2)?_

Please answer (1) or (2) in your reviews. No "both", 'cause that's not possible. (heh heh)


	9. Growing Up

**Dance Steps**

_By Chiharu Tanaka_

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A/n: 100+ reviews! Astounding! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! And yes, the poll is done, and I'm going to make Dance Steps longer! Maybe up to 15 chapters, max. Sorry for the long wait, though. I'm in 12th grade now…gotta study.

Disclaimer: How many times am I forced to type this?

* * *

**Chapter 9: Growing Up**

* * *

The moon was up once more. Exhausted but determined, she stepped forward to take a good look at herself in the mirror. Seconds ticked by, and she was powerless to hold them back. She raked her long, manicured fingernails through her long honey brown hair as she looked up at the clock in her room.

She was desperately waiting for a certain moment to come, yet she wanted it to never come. But she knew just as well as the next person; the moment was going to come by, whether she liked it or not. Nobody fights against Father Time.

Her footsteps were distant, but quick. She paced up and down the room, worrying. Like a mother waiting for news on her missing child. She covered her forehead filled with cold sweat and finally set down on the edge of her four-poster bed.

Nobody could blame Risa Harada for being nervous at that moment. She was about to face something that she unwillingly agreed to, something she barely had any interest in, and someone she didn't want to face. The calm shades of blue, they gave her goosebumps all over her body, even on that midsummer night.

She looked over at the mirror once more, as it stood tall at the edge of the room. Her long hair was combed neatly and pinned up into a stylish, elegant bun. Light makeup covered her facial features, only a little bit, to accentuate her golden eyes. The dress that clung to her petite body was of dark blue satin. Paradox is a funny thing. She felt happy yet miserable about the way she looked.

"Risa! Are you done? Let's go!"

Her sister's wail startled her for a moment. She shook the thought of him, the man who treated her like a princess away from her mind and back to its original focus. Walking out of her room, she picked up her purse and her new pair of shoes off the chair and headed downstairs.

The car drove away from her house and into a silent journey. Sure, her twin sister Riku was talking until her mouth nearly fell off, and Daisuke was just nodding with a short reply now and then, but Risa just kept her lips pursed as the car drove off into the night city.

A heavy stone of regret weighed her heart down. Something was telling her that starting this was all a big, big mistake. Another part of her, however, told her that it will be a memorable night. A memorable night with the man who loved her. The only man who truly loved her for the woman she had grown up to become. But had she really grown up, she questioned herself. Part of her was still a little girl, naïve and overprotected.

She left most of her naïve self, her childhood demeanour behind when her first love, Dark, threw her aside like a rotten sushi. She could never become first in his heart, she knew, but she felt stupid now for trying.

"Risa, look! Isn't it marvellous?"

Marvellous was true, their destination had Risa wincing for the fluttering swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't avoid it. The moment was here, the moment was now. There was no turning back. She stepped out of the car and walked right over into the building, meeting eye-to-eye with the charming man.

"Good evening, Risa," he greeted, addressing her by her first name.

Standing in his classy black suit, he shot her a suave smile, one that usually knocked the lights out of unsuspecting girls. Risa just felt a blush bug tickle her face as she felt his suave aura hit her and smiled back.

"Good evening, Satoshi-kun."

He cornered her, like an eagle does its prey, and held out his arm to her. "I've signed us up already. Miss Rodriguez and Carlos are already seated. Shall we join the other contestants, my fair maiden?"

She smiled warmly, the regret in her heart melting away after looking into his deep alluring cerulean eyes, even clearly now that he wasn't wearing his glasses. She clung onto the arm he held out for her. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all, her heart whispered.

* * *

'I take that back,' she thought. The dance hall was filled with young hopefuls such as herself, practised and determined to get through the qualifying round. The butterflies flutter recklessly in her stomach once more. She felt nauseated, tense overwhelming her.

She turned to the blond woman sitting beside her. "Maria-sensei…I noticed there's a lot of people here. Is there really a lot of dance schools in Azumano?"

The young woman gave a hearty chuckle. "Oh, Risa, don't be silly! We're representing Azumano, of course. This qualifying round is you two…against the whole district."

At the sound of those words, Risa really wanted to faint right then and there. What was stopping her from doing so? The fact that Azumano was depending on her, that's what.

"The whole district? What…is this a national competition or something?" she stammered.

Maria just nodded. This time, Risa really fainted. When she woke up a few minutes later, she grabbed the collar of the closest person to her, who was unfortunately, Satoshi.

"NOOO, this can't BE! I…I can't do an NATIONAL dancing competition!" she wailed, making a few groups of dancing partners look at her strangely. "Maria-sensei, please… I can't do this! Please…can I withdraw?" she asked desperately, tugging at Maria's skirt.

"Risa…" began Satoshi, sensing the disappointment on Maria and Carlos's face. Risa's wide open mouth closed slowly as she saw them as well.

Part of growing up is making decisions. Most of the time, Risa learnt to avoid making them, or leaving the choice up to her mature twin sister. But as she gazed upon the faces of her two instructors who were so hopeful to see them succeed, she felt herself grew older.

"G…gomen," she stuttered out. "Forget what I said…I'm just…nervous, I guess." Unexpectedly, Maria smiled broadly and threw her arms around the young girl.

"_Magnifico_! I know, Risa…anyone would be nervous. I'm glad you decided to take the challenge. Now get out there and show the world what you're made of!" she exclaimed, smiling proudly. Risa smiled back at them and walked towards the contestants seats with Satoshi.

"I'm proud of you, Risa," said Satoshi, as they took their seats. "For the decision you made. You're beginning to see what maturity is like."

Risa pouted. "Are you saying that I'm childish? Mou, you're mean," she said, meaning to sound mad, but she couldn't help but grin. What he said was true: she was growing up.

The night seemed to pass by quickly. Dancing duos seemed to take the dance floor by surprise and amazement. Although Risa was practically chewing her nails off, she felt relieved slightly at the fact that she wasn't the only one nervous. The 3rd girl slipped on her high heels and the 7th guy twisted his ankle and was sent to the hospital.

She was biting the fingernails off her left hand fingers anxiously until she felt Satoshi pull her hand down by the wrist. Subconsciously, she lifted her right hand to start chewing again but stopped when she looked at Satoshi staring back at her.

"You're lucky I don't have a clone who can sit next to you," he said, looking straight into her eyes. She gave him a bitter smile, and put down her hand. Eventually, the moment they had been waiting for a long time finally reached them.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the representatives of Azumano, Hiwatari Satoshi and Harada Risa!"

With one deep breath, Risa stood up, Satoshi standing beside her. He was still clutching her left hand tightly. As they walked to the centre of the stage, Satoshi turned around to face her. "You'll do fine. Trust me," he said calmly. A weak smile etched on her lips as she held his shoulder and hand.

The slow melody of waltz music began to play throughout the large hall. As if by magic, Risa's feet began moving on instinct, moving slowly around the stage. The crowd watched them in awe as they performed a splendid waltz across the ballroom floor.

No sooner than it had began, the smooth piano and violin tunes suddenly dispersed, and the lights went out. When the lights were back on again, the music that boomed out the speakers were totally different – a Latin inspired tango beat.

Round and round they twirled, performing a beautiful tango on the smooth dance floor. Daisuke, Riku as well as the entire crowd gaped at them with shocked looks on their faces.

Satoshi abruptly let go of Risa's waist as she twirled around like a ballerina whilst his arm was above her head, the hem of her frilly blue dress like petals on a beautiful flower. Risa smiled at him, suddenly feeling the nervousness in her stomach drifting away and being replaced by a surge of confidence.

After one final twist, they arrived at the centre of the stage where Risa leaned backwards, her back supported by Satoshi's arm; and he leaned forward, looking straight into her eyes. Risa blushed fervently, smiling brightly at him as the crowd went wild and she stood back up properly.

"Splendid performance! Absolutely splendid! Astounding! Why…I…I'm speechless! Thank you for that amazing performance!"

The grin didn't disappear from her face as Risa took her seat. Satoshi smiled with her, still holding her hand. After a few more couples, the judges were discussing among themselves, deciding a winner to advance to the international level.

"And yes, ladies and gentlemen, the judges have made their decision!" said the host, taking an envelope and opening it up. He smiled brightly as he read the results. "And, not surprisingly, the winners are – Azumano's representatives, Hiwatari Satoshi and Harada Risa!"

Out of sheer bliss, Risa threw her arms around Satoshi's neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh my God, we've won!" she squeaked excitedly, her cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling too much. She let go of him and stood up, pulling him along with her to the stage once more.

"We have, Risa…we have," said Satoshi under his breath, smiling thankfully.

* * *

Twirling a strand of her brown hair with her index finger, Risa was humming a tune to herself as she looked at the gold trophy on the table. She, Riku, Daisuke and Satoshi were at the Harada residence after the dance competition. Riku was so happy, she made

"Hey, what're you thinking about?"

Risa turned around to see Satoshi looking down at her, a mug of coffee in his hands. He had taken off his blazer and tie, and had unbuttoned the top half of his white shirt. She blushed slightly, thinking he looked sexy that way.

"Nothing…it's just that I'm amazed that we've gone so far…from what my mom intended to be just an ordinary lesson," she said as he took a seat beside her at the patio outside.

"The strange thing is…you dance really good. Have you actually danced before?" he asked.

"Urm…I did take ballet classes when I was five…but I stopped dancing after a few years. Riku wasn't really good at it and I missed having her around."

"Well, I've taken ballroom dancing when I was still in England once…something about it being compulsory for the graduation ball…"

Risa giggled slightly and looked up at the ink black sky, sparkled with stars and illuminated by the moon. After a sip from his warm coffee, Satoshi spoke up. "I have a confession to make, actually."

She turned to face him, curious, but anxiously fiddling around with a strand of her long hair. What was Satoshi going to say to her? Confess? 'No, he already did that…' thought Risa, face bright red.

"I've never felt so…alive…until I took the dance floor with you. You seem to be channelling your happy spirit through everyone, not just myself…I've never felt like this before, to say the least."

Risa smiled awkwardly. "You're welcome…glad I could help." Still, she thought, deep inside her heart. 'I can't help but feel so…safe and comfortable beside him,' she thought. "But you dance well too, how else would we have won?" she said, embarrassingly.

"Well, I'm just glad I agreed to take dancing classes again, because without it…I wouldn't have danced with you."

His blue eyes were calm yet alluring. Risa felt herself leaning forward towards him, or was it he who was leaning forwards towards her? Her mind turned blank, she didn't know what was going on, all she knew was she was feeling so much affection for the man sitting right beside her. She rested her hands against his shoulder, feeling the soft, white fabric, inhaling the strong scent of sandalwood and geranium from his cologne. As she slowly closed her eyes, waiting for their lips to meet, she felt his hand caressing her cheek, sending tingling signals down her spine. And as they were only millimetres apart from a passionate kiss…

"Risa! Hiwatari-kun! Do you want pepperonis on the pizza?" rang Riku's voice from the kitchen. They immediately broke apart, both bright red in the face.

'Since when did they have pizzas without pepperonis?' thought Risa angrily, yet relieved at the fact that Satoshi didn't kiss her…just yet.

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/n: Sorry for the lateness, but as you can clearly see in this chapter, I'm slightly losing my knack for writing because I've been pressured by school. We all do, I suppose. I promise you the next chapter will be a blast! 


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